Gravity
by Jenna Cassie Herdz
Summary: Sequel to Highwayman-The Doctor has just regenerated, the TARDIS is coming down around them, and Olivia hasn't had a chance to get to know the new Doctor before they're thrown into a new adventure. But even when things get back to normal, their relationship is tested with the arrival of River Song, and Olivia's very unsure about her feelings for the woman and the entire situation.
1. A New Beginning

**A/N:** welcome Whovians and return readers to the sequel to Highwayman. I want to thank you once again for your support in that story because without the fans, this sequel wouldn't exist. i'm glad everyone loves Olivia Felton as much as i do!  
now, last we left our Time Traveling couple, the Doctor had just regenerated and the TARDIS was coming down around them...

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_**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**_

She screamed and ducked when tons of sparks flew from the TARDIS console, smoke billowing around her in plumes so thick she could hardly see or breathe.

"Doctor!" she called before giving harsh coughs then looking around the control room. "Doctor, where are you?!"

"_Olivia_!"

It was a new voice. One that she was just getting used to, but she responded to the muffled call, knowing it was her name, by whirling around to look at the open doors. She hurried toward the doors of the TARDIS, ducking when sparks flew from the console and dropped to her knees with wide eyes staring down at the man dangling off the end, a silver wand clamped between his teeth.

"What the hell are you doing down there?!" she snapped.

He gave a silent glare before trying to pull himself up and she gripped his arms to help him back in, bracing her feet on either side of the doorframe. She looked up as a bell sounded from somewhere outside and the Doctor looked over his shoulder with wide eyes as her expression dropped to horror.

They were heading straight for Big Ben.

"Doctor…?"

He gave a muffled reply before she reached out and took the Sonic Screwdriver from his mouth for him to order, "Pull that lever down!"

She quickly shot to her feet as he tried to pull himself in and she reached for the lever, shrinking back once with a shriek when sparks flew but she slammed it down, making the TARDIS thrash, violently. She groaned when she fell onto her back and looked up to see the doorway to the TARDIS empty again, making her eyes widen and her heart race in panic when she heard the Doctor shouting from outside.

"Doctor!" she called, scrambling across the floor to look out the doorway and she gripped his hands to help him up just as they passed over Big Ben. She pulled him completely into the TARDIS and they slammed the doors shut behind him to lean on them, side by side as she panted, "Are you alright?"

All he could do was nod as he sighed in some relief before looking at her and they couldn't help but burst into laughter for a moment before the TARDIS hitched again and it went toppling through the sky as the Doctor gripped Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the console.

"We need to land!" he called over the sparking and the sound of the engines. "We need to let her repair herself!"

"And how exactly do we land when we can't even get to the controls through the smoke and sparks?!" she shot back, cringing when something sparked at her from the console.

"We'll figure something out!" he replied, trying to get through the sparks as well but the TARDIS thrashed again, this time sending them toppling sideways toward the door on the other side of the room.

They fell through the halls that kept shifting around them until they were stopped…by water. Olivia quickly kicked herself to the surface as the Doctor gripped her hand to pull her with him to the surface. They both gasped for air and Olivia frowned around in confusion at the sight of books floating through the water and shelves of books lining the walls around them.

"Why is the swimming pool in the library?" she questioned as the water stilled around them.

"Why _not_ have a swimming pool in the library, eh?" he retorted before looking around as they treaded water and he looked up with a grin. "Finally settled, have you, old girl?!"

"Great, now how do we get out of here?" Olivia muttered, but frowned in wonder as she watched the Doctor swim toward the side of the pool, grabbing something that floated in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Planning," he replied, swimming back toward her.

She watched as he held a rope in his hand and started pulling it from the water until his hand pulled a grappling hook from the water and he grinned widely at her as she frowned in wonder at him.

"You _would_ have a grappling hook float in from out of nowhere, wouldn't you?" she said before he looked up at the TARDIS doors high above them. He lifted the Sonic toward the doors and they burst open before he launched the grappling hook out of the opening and Olivia stared wide eyes after it. "Wow. I'm impressed."

"I'll go first," he explained, gripping the rope to do as he said. "You follow. Close now. And whatever we find up there just…stay calm."

"Oh, yes, because the TARDIS coming down around us hasn't freaked me out already," she shot back as they began their climb toward the TARDIS doors.

"Why are you so snippy?!" he strained under pulling his own weight up the rope and wrinkling his nose. "_I'm_ the one that just regenerated. I think _I'm_ the only one here with the right to be a bit cranky."

"Well excuse _me_!" she snapped, pulling herself after him. "But _I_ think I'm allowed to be cranky because my boyfriend of nearly five years just changed into a whole new body with a new voice, new hair, and a new face with no _freckles_!"

"Oh? That was terribly rude of him. Who's your boyfriend, then?"

"_You are_!"

"Oh, yes. That's right."

"How could you _forget_ that?!"

"Bit distracted at the moment, Olivia!"

"Oh, so you can remember _who_ I am but not…who I _am_?"

The Doctor stopped, nearly to the top and frowned back at her as she glared up at him and he sneered, "That doesn't even make _sense_!"

"Why should _I_ make sense?!" she snapped back. "_You_ never do!"

He gave another face before continuing his way up and when he finally pulled himself up, Olivia gave a deep, confused frown at what she heard next.

"Can I have an apple?" she heard him ask and assumed he must've been talking to someone outside. "All I can think about…_apples_. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving! That's new. Never had cravings before."

She watched him pull himself up and sit straddling the edge of the TARDIS to look down at her before holding a hand toward her to help her up and she climbed over the edge to sit in front of him as he looked down again.

"Whoa!" he grinned. "Look at that!"

"I'd rather not, thank you," Olivia panted before looking ahead to see a little ginger girl in a nightgown covered by a red robe with rain boots on her feet and a flashlight in her hand. Olivia waved with a smile, nodding, "Hello."

"Are you alright?" the little girl asked, warily in a Scottish accent as the Doctor shifted to sit properly next to Olivia.

"Just had a fall," the Doctor replied as Olivia decided to jump down off the edge of the sideways TARDIS. "All the way down there. Right to the library. Hell of a climb back up."

"You're both _soaking_ wet," she pointed out.

"We were in the swimming pool," Olivia replied, passing by her and patting her head to take the grappling hook from where it landed and the girl frowned, glancing between them.

"But…_he_ said you were in the _library_," she pointed out as Olivia passed her again to hand the grappling hook to the Doctor where he sat.

"Yes, there was a swimming pool," he nodded, taking the hook from Olivia who turned to lean back on the bottom of the TARDIS as he examined the hook before dropping it next to her.

"Are you the police?" the girl asked, making Olivia frown.

"Did you _call_ the police?" Olivia asked, shoving off of the TARDIS as the Doctor leaned forward a bit in his spot and Olivia knelt in front of the girl to ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" the girl asked Olivia before both girls looked to the Doctor and Olivia stood tall again as he frowned at the ginger girl.

"What cra—_Ah_!"

"Doctor!" Olivia called, watching him nearly leap from his perch as he clutched one side of his chest, crying out in pain as he toppled to the ground. She knelt down to help him stand on his knees. "Doctor? What's wrong?!"

"Are you ok, Mister?" the little girl asked as Olivia kept her eyes on the Doctor as he shook his head.

"No, I'm fine," he strained, slightly. "Don't worry…this is all perfectly nor—!"

He jerked forward before lifting his head and breathing out a cloud of gold, making Olivia frown in wonder before he looked to her with a reassuring smile.

"Who are you?" the little girl questioned, making Olivia glance at her before looking back at the Doctor as he lifted his hands to examine them and she frowned when she noticed them glowing gold as well.

"I don't know yet," the Doctor replied to the girl. "I'm still cooking."

Olivia couldn't help but give a slight giggle, making him look at her with a genuine smile, but she quickly looked away and the Doctor looked back to the girl.

"Does it scare you?" he asked her as she frowned at them in confusion.

"Not _really_," she replied. "It just looks weird."

The Doctor scoffed, realizing she meant his regeneration and explained, "No, no, no. The crack in your wall. Does it scare you?"

"Yes," she replied and Olivia frowned at the Doctor when he grinned, widely.

"Well then!" he called, jumping to his feet and Olivia scrambled to stand next to him. "No time to lose. I'm the Doctor. This is Olivia. Do everything I tell you. Don't ask stupid questions and don't wander off."

Olivia frowned at him as he grinned at her then turned to march straight into a tree. His head thunked against the wood before he fell straight back and Olivia gasped as she threw her hands over her mouth with wide eyes staring at him as he only laid there, the little girl stepping up to his head to look down at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked as Olivia stepped up next to him to stand over him as well.

"Steering's a bit off," he replied, glancing between them before holding a hand toward Olivia who gripped it and pulled him back to his feet.

"You lead the way, little one," Olivia nodded with a smile and the girl turned to head toward her house.

The Doctor reached out and took her hand but she pulled it away, gently, making him frown at her as she only kept her gaze ahead. He gripped her arm gently and pulled her back a step before stopping and turning her to face him as she frowned at him in wonder.

"Are you still cross with me?" he murmured as the little girl continued toward the front door of her house.

"No," Olivia frowned. "Why would I be?"

"You were back in the TARDIS, and now you won't hold my hand," he noticed. "You _always_ hold my hand. I remember _that_."

"I think you should try figuring out _yourself_ before you try to figure me out all over again," she smiled before turning to head after the little girl who waited at the door for them, the Doctor right behind her.

They were led up a flight of stairs and around a corner to a kitchen where the Doctor began scanning the room as Olivia stood next to him, the little girl rummaging around for something. She stepped up to them, catching both their attentions, an apple in her hands.

"If you're a _Doctor_, why does your box say _police_?" she questioned.

Instead of answering, the Doctor took the apple, smelled it and then took a huge bite into it. The girls watched him chew on it a few times before he promptly spit out what was in his mouth across the room, making them both frown and look to him in disgust.

"That's disgusting. What is that?" he asked, holding the apple back out to her.

"It's an apple," the girl replied.

"Apple's rubbish. I hate apples."

"You said you loved them," Olivia recalled with an incredulous frown at him.

"No, no, no. I like yogurt! Yogurt's my favorite. Give me yogurt."

The little girl looked to Olivia with a frown and she only shrugged before waving her off toward the fridge in approval. She hurried across the kitchen to the fridge and ran back to him with a yogurt cup. He ripped the lid off, sucked down the contents then promptly spit it back out across the room, making Olivia jump and stare wide eyes at the mess before looking to him without a word.

"I hate yogurt," he muttered, the offending food running from the corner of his mouth and down his prominent chin. "It's stuff with bits in it!"

"You said it was your favorite," the girl recalled in confusion as Olivia rolled her eyes before lowering her head into a hand.

"New mouth!" he explained, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "New rules! It's like eating after cleaning your teeth. Everything tastes _raw_!"

Olivia jumped back and stepped next to the girl as he jerked on his feet bending this way and that before slapping a hand to his head and staring around with wide eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong with you?" the girl asked as he lowered his hand.

"A _lot_ of things," Olivia muttered, but she was ignored for the moment.

"What's wrong with _me_?" the Doctor frowned to the girl. "What's wrong with _you_? Why can't you give me any decent food? You're Scottish. Fry something."

"Get us a couple of towels first, won't you?" Olivia requested and the girl nodded to her before running down the hall and the Doctor watched her before frowning at Olivia as she headed toward the sink to look underneath it.

"What are you doing?" he questioned, not leaving his spot from the doorway as Olivia stood again with a roll of paper towels.

"Cleaning up this mess you made," she snapped back, kneeling to wipe up the yogurt and using a paper towel to pick up the apple piece he'd spit out. "Your last regeneration wasn't this disgusting."

"Oh, here we go!" he called, catching her attention and she stared at him with wide eyes as he marched toward her to kneel down in front of her and hiss, "_This_ is why I didn't want you with me when this happened. All you'll do now is go on about how I was before. Well _this_ is the new one! This is the new Doctor! So if you don't like it…don't stay."

Olivia stared at him in disbelief before he stood and turned to pace as they both heard the girl's footsteps hurrying back. She handed a towel to the Doctor who immediately started shaking it through his hair, then handed one to Olivia as she still stared at the Doctor, making the girl frown at her in wonder.

"Are you alright?" she asked, snapping Olivia's attention back to her as she took the towel.

"Oh, nothing," she lied before smiling as best she could, "Thank you."

The girl nodded and hurried toward the fridge again to find something to fry as Olivia finished cleaning up before sitting in a chair at the table, watching the two as she wrung her hair out with the towel.

"Ah! Bacon!" the Doctor cheered as he watched the girl cook up a few strips before hurrying to the table to sit next to Olivia, a fork in his hand and a grin on his face.

She knew she shouldn't have been surprised at his mood swing but it annoyed her nonetheless. He tapped the end of his fork to the table as the girl served him and he cut a piece of bacon before shoving it into his mouth and grinning at her. She grinned back, thinking he was pleased but his face instantly changed and he spit the piece back onto the plate. Her grin fell as Olivia frowned at him in disbelief.

"Bacon," he muttered, leaning forward on the table to look the girl in the eye. "That's bacon. Are you trying to poison me?"

Next was beans, and by now, Olivia wasn't falling for his enthusiasm at having some because as soon as he shoveled a helping of beans into his mouth, he ran to the sink and spit them back out. He looked back at both of them as Olivia shook her head in her hand.

"Beans are evil," he warned. "Bad, bad beans."

They all sat at the table as the next dish was prepared and he smiled, nodding in approval.

"Bread and butter," he praised. "_Now_ you're talking."

The next minute he was launching the plate like a Frisbee out the front door, yelling at it to stay out as Olivia sighed, still at the table. He paced next to the fridge as the little girl opened the door and looked through it.

"We've got some carrots," she suggested, looking to him for his response as she whirled around to face her.

"Carrots?!" he demanded. "Are you insane?!"

"_I_ would make a suggestion but _someone_ doesn't want me bringing up the past," Olivia called, sarcastically and it earned a glare from the Doctor as she only smiled back at him, knowing he knew exactly what she meant.

"What do _you_ think, then?" the girl asked, open to any suggestions at this point.

Olivia shrugged before replying, "Maybe bananas?"

"We don't have any bananas," the girl replied, making Olivia frown in disbelief.

"What kind of household doesn't have bananas?!" she squeaked, but her question went unanswered when the Doctor stepped toward the fridge to rummage through it.

"No bananas. No! Wait! Hang on! I know what I need! I need…I need…I need…" He grinned as he pulled a box from the fridge and a box from the freezer and held them toward her saying, "…fish fingers and custard."

Olivia watched him in astonishment as the Doctor sat next to her dipping the fish sticks into a huge bowl of custard and chowing down on them, the little girl in front of them eating ice cream straight out of the carton. Olivia looked to the plate of fish sticks then back at the Doctor as he ate before snaking her arm between him and the bowl of custard to steal one and dip it into the bowl just for a taste. The Doctor looked to her to see her reaction as she took the bite, chewed on it then glanced at him and nodded in approval, making him smile before they both looked to the girl in front of them.

"Funny," the girl nodded. "You're both _very_ funny."

"Are we?" the Doctor chirped. "Good. Funny's good."

"What's your name?" Olivia asked, finishing off her fish stick.

"Amelia Pond," she replied, enthusiastically.

"Oh! That's a brilliant name," the Doctor smiled. "Amelia Pond. Like a name in a fairy tale."

Olivia couldn't help but smile at him, seeing his old self come out just a bit before she turned to Amelia and asked, "Are we Scotland Amelia?"

Amelia sighed in disappointment before replying, "No. Auntie moved to England. It's _rubbish_."

"What about your mom and dad?" Olivia asked. "Aren't they upstairs? I thought we would've woken them by now."

"Don't have a mum and dad," Amelia replied, a bit sadly. "Just an aunt."

"_I_ don't even have an aunt," the Doctor smiled, still eating and Olivia looked to him just as he looked at her and he smiled, "I've just got Olivia, here." He looked back at Amelia and shrugged. "She suits me."

"You're lucky," Amelia nodded before he looked back to Olivia, meeting her gaze.

"I know," he replied.

Olivia realized he was silently apologizing for his behavior earlier, she could see it in his eyes. Well, the argument _had_ gone both ways, so she made sure he knew that she was sorry too by slipping a hand onto his knee under the table where Amelia couldn't see it, fiddling with the tear she found under her fingers.

The Doctor couldn't help but stare at Olivia for a moment before he looked back to Amelia to ask, "So your aunt…where's she?"

"She's out," Amelia shrugged, making the couple's eyes widen at her.

"And she left you all alone?!" Olivia frowned incredulously. "How old are you?!"

"Seven," she replied. "I'm not _scared_."

"Of course not," the Doctor chimed in. "You're not scared of anything. Box falls out of the sky. Man and woman fall out of the box. Man eats fish custard…and _look at you_! Just sittin' there!"

There was a pause as they all stared at each other until he finally spoke again.

"So you know what _I_ think?"

"What?" Amelia prompted as Olivia only stared at him in wonder.

"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall."

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**A/N:** i hope you all like the beginning so far. i'll be working on this one and another Olivia Felton story of her year working for Torchwood called The Year Long Wait. I'm not sure if i'll post that one until after i'm finished with this one, but if i do, i encourage you to read it. now...any reviews?


	2. A Twelve Year Mistake

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 2: A Twelve Year Mistake**_

"You've had some cowboys in here," the Doctor observed as he examined the long, slightly 'U' shaped crack in the wall opposite the door of Amelia's bedroom, Amelia and Olivia standing in the doorway. "Not _actual_ cowboys. Though that can happen."

"I used to hate apples," Amelia said, drawing the Doctor's attention to the two at the door. "So my mum put faces on them."

"She sounds nice," Olivia smiled as they stepped into the room together, Olivia stepping closer to examine the wall and Amelia stopping next to the Doctor to hand him an apple with a smiling face on it.

"I'll keep it for later," he assured her, tucking the apple into his pocket and looking to the crack again.

"Doctor," Olivia called as he stepped closer.

"I know," he hummed, neither one of them looking from the crack. "This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it."

"So where's the draft coming from?" Olivia replied, stepping back when the Doctor pulled out the Sonic to use it on the crack then examined it.

"Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey…" he muttered before closing the Sonic and looking to Olivia to ask, "You know what the crack is?"

She shook her head before he looked to Amelia and she shook her head as well, asking, "What?"

"It's a crack," he replied, looking back to the wall and making the girls frown but he hurried toward the wall to touch it, continuing, "But I'll tell you something funny. If you knock this wall down, the crack would stay put because the crack…isn't in the _wall_."

"Where is it then?" Amelia asked as the Doctor pressed himself against the wall to examine the crack.

"Everywhere," he replied, not looking at her as he ran his fingers along the crack. "In everything. This is a splitting the skin of the world. Two parts of time and space that should never have touched…pressed together. Right here in the wall of your bedroom." He looked to Amelia before pressing his ear to the crack and asking, "Sometimes…can you hear…?"

"A voice," Amelia confirmed when he trailed off as Olivia stepped next to her and placed an arm around her shoulder when she nodded, "Yes."

The girls watched as he frowned, trying to hear through the crack then marched toward the nightstand to pick up a glass half filled with water. He examined it before dumping the water out over his shoulder and a splash came from the hallway as he examined the glass again, the girls staring at him incredulously as he stepped back toward the wall. He pressed the top end to the wall with the bottom of the glass against his ear and listened for a moment.

"Prisoner Zero…" he murmured.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," Amelia confirmed, drawing his attention to her. "That's what _I_ heard. What does it mean?"

He listened for another moment before pushing away from the wall and staring at it, replying, "It means, that on the other side of this wall, there's a prison. And they've lost a prisoner. And you know what _that_ means."

"What?" Amelia questioned.

"You need a better wall," he replied before waving at Olivia to help him when he stepped to one side of the desk between them and the wall. He waved her toward the other end of the desk and they lifted it to move it aside as he continued, "The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert and the wall will snap shut, or…"

The Doctor reached over and took Olivia's hand to pull her with him passed Amelia, making her frown but she didn't pull away as he faced the little girl.

"What?" Amelia prompted. He looked at her and Olivia could see a conflict churning in his eyes as if he didn't want to tell her but he knew he had to.

"You know when grown ups tell you 'everything's gonna be fine' and _you_ think they're probably lying to make _you_ feel better?" the Doctor finally asked.

"Yes," Amelia sighed, rolling her eyes before she looked back at the Doctor.

"Everything's gonna be fine," he replied, making Olivia swallow as she felt her heart race and her hand tightened on the Doctor's before he turned to face the crack, pulling her behind him then letting go of her hand to take Amelia's, the Sonic in the other. "Olivia, stay behind me and get Amelia out of here if something happens."

"Like what?" she whispered, staying behind him as she peeked over his shoulder at the wall.

"I have no idea," he replied before aiming the Sonic at the crack.

As the hum sounded, the crack shone with a bright light before slowly opening to reveal a dark room within, a voice clearly heard from it.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," the deep voice announced, loudly as the Doctor took a step closer. "Prisoner Zero has escaped."

"Hello?" the Doctor called, looking into the gap and Olivia tried to pull him back by the arm he held Amelia's hand with. "Hello?"

"Doctor, don't—"

She cut herself off with a gasp as they all jumped back a step when a huge eye came from out of nowhere and stared at them from the other side of the gap.

"What's that?" Amelia breathed.

Her question went unanswered when a ball of light shot out from the gap and hit the Doctor's pocket making him stumble and fall onto the chair next to him as the gap slowly closed and sealed.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Olivia asked, kneeling next to him.

"I'm fine, Liv," he smiled, digging into his pocket and looking to Amelia as she stared at her wall. "There, see? Told you it'd close. Good as new."

"What was that thing?" Olivia wondered.

"Was _that_ Prisoner Zero?" Amelia asked.

"No," he replied, pulling the Psychic Paper from his pocket. "I _think_ that was Prisoner Zero's guard. Whatever it was it sent me a message."

"Psychic Paper," Olivia nodded in understanding before looking to Amelia and explaining, "It can take a nice little message."

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," the Doctor read aloud from the paper, making Olivia frown at him.

"We already know that," she replied. "Why tell us on the Psychic Paper?"

"Unless…" the Doctor murmured, looking to the door and standing, Olivia standing as well and still frowning at him as he tucked the Psychic Paper away.

"Unless what?" Amelia wondered watching him as well.

"Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here," the Doctor replied, looking around the room.

"But he couldn't have," Olivia argued, gently. "We'd know…wouldn't we?"

The Doctor suddenly shot toward the door and into the hall at the bottom of the stairs leading to the third floor. Amelia and Olivia ran after him, the little girl stopping in front of him and Olivia stepping next to him as he looked down at Amelia.

"It's difficult," he excused. "Barely new. Nothing works yet, but there's something I'm missing…" He slowly turned his head to the right, murmuring, "…in the corner…of my eye."

He stared at the door, both girls frowning at him in wonder before they all jumped when they heard something that sounded like a bell tolling from outside. The Doctor looked away from the door in alarm before looking between the girls with wide eyes and racing toward the stairs leading to the first floor and racing down them, Olivia and Amelia right behind him.

"Doctor, what's happening?!" Olivia demanded as they raced down the stairs and toward the front door.

"I have to get back in there!" he called as they ran out the front door and toward the TARDIS. "The engines are phasing! She's gonna burn!"

"But it's just a box," Amelia replied as he gathered the rope and grappling hook, handing one end to Olivia to have her help him. "How can a box have engines?"

"It's not a box," the Doctor replied, turning to her. "It's a time machine."

He didn't wait for a response as he instructed Olivia where to go, where to wrap the rope and where to tie it down.

"What?" Amelia blurted as she watched them work. "A _real_ one? You've got a _real_ time machine?"

"Not for much longer if I can't get it stabilized," he explained, still hurriedly working. "Five minute hop into the future _should_ do it."

"Can I come?" Amelia wondered, making Olivia freeze as she reached the bottom of the box where the Doctor met her.

"Not safe in there," he explained, helping Olivia up onto the edge where she was preparing to jump back in. "Not yet. Five minutes. Give me five minute. I'll be right back."

"People _always_ say that," Amelia replied, making the Doctor look back at her as Olivia looked to him and he stepped toward the little girl to hunch down and look her in the eyes.

"Am I people?" he asked. "Do I even _look_ like people? Trust me, I'm the Doctor."

He hurried back toward the TARDIS and climbed up next to Olivia before taking one more look at Amelia then looked to Olivia, frowning when he was met with a smile over her lips.

"What is it?" he questioned. She said nothing as she took his hand and he grinned before looking down into the TARDIS and jumping into it, shouting, "_Geronimo_!"

The doors shut behind them, but they grabbed hold of either side of the railing inside before they landed back in the pool. The Doctor made his way to the console and pushed a lever into place, straightening it out as the engines began, smoke and flames still around them as sparks flew up from the console again.

"Liv! Come help me!" the Doctor called, trying to run around the console as he coughed and she coughed and hacked as well as she made her way to the console to help. "Hold that button down!"

She did as she was told as he tried his best to fly the TARDIS.

"Gonna have to make a slight detour before I go back to get Amelia!" he called over the sparks, making Olivia frown in wonder.

"A _detour_?!" she snapped before coughing and squeaked with a start when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her from the console toward the door. "What detour?! Where are we going?!"

She was suddenly pulled back against him, making her frown in wonder as his hand remained on her arm and she swallowed when she felt his mouth against her ear…a mouth she wasn't used to just yet.

"You've been wonderful, even now," he murmured, making her frown deepen. "I'm sorry."

The TARDIS door was flung open and she screamed as she was shoved out the door and fell a foot before landing on the grass of her lawn. She looked to the house where her friend and mother lived before whirling around to see the Doctor hanging out of the door of the smoking TARDIS as it hovered unstably above the lawn.

"You are _not_ leaving me again!" she screamed and made a running start before jumping and successfully grabbing onto his ankle, making him shout in shock as he gripped the door to keep himself from falling out. "Help me up!"

"I'm doing this to _protect_ you! Let go of my foot!" he shouted, trying to shake her off, but her grip was tight as the TARDIS wobbled through the air.

"Let me in!" she shouted.

"Let me go!" he shot back.

"Which of those scenarios do you think is more likely to happen?!" she growled, digging her nails into his ankle and he shouted with a start as she glared up at him. "_Let me in_!"

"Fine!" he snapped, leaning down to grab one of her hands and pull her back in, slamming the door shut behind them and she stood to dust herself off before gripping his tie to pull him an inch away from her face.

"You do that again, and once you're fully regenerated I'll give you a new _face_!" she ground out before shoving him away as he stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm _sick_ of being left by you! Now let's go back for Amelia!"

The Doctor only nodded before they both headed toward the console and did their best to pilot it again before they finally came to a stop.

"Oh…" he hummed before giving a cough and she frowned at him.

"What?" she questioned, coughing herself.

"I know what it was!" he called, running for the door. "I know what I was missing!"

He grabbed Olivia's hand and they ran out of the door into a now familiar yard, smoke billowing around them before the door shut behind them, but Olivia noticed something was different.

"Amelia!" the Doctor called, running for the front door, Olivia right behind him. "Amelia! I worked out what it was! I know what I was missing! You've gotta get out of there!"

"Doctor, something's not right," Olivia warned as he struggled to get the door open with the Sonic.

"Of _course_ something's not right, Liv," he shot back, not looking away from his work. "Amelia could be in danger!"

"That's not what I mean—"

She was cut off when he finally got the door open and raced in, Olivia racing in right after him.

"Amelia!" he called again, racing up the stairs, Olivia right after him. "Amelia?! Are you alright?! Are you there!"

He stopped at a door near the wall and used the Sonic in it before looking at it then muttering, "Prisoner Zero is here."

"Doctor…"

"Not _now_, Liv," he replied before calling, "Prisoner Zero is _here_! Do you understand me?! Prisoner Zero is…"

He trailed off when he heard a thump from somewhere behind him and suddenly saw Olivia fall at his feet, unconscious. He spun around in time to see a cricket bat coming toward his face then his world went black.

* * *

_Later..._

The Doctor slowly awoke, his eyes fluttering open as he lifted his head from a reclined position only to see a policewoman in front of him speaking into her radio about back-up, describing him and Olivia. He looked to his right to see Olivia leaning next to him, her head leaning back on whatever was behind them.

"Olivia—?"

"Oi!" the woman called, as he tried to reach his hand around, but the handcuffs stopped him and he looked to them with wide eyes before looking back at the woman as she continued, "You sit still."

"Cricket bat," he recalled. "You hit me…with a _cricket_ bat."

"You lot were breaking in/entering," the woman replied.

He tried to get to his feet, but he'd forgotten about the cuffs and plopped down onto the floor again.

"Ooh, that's much better," he muttered, looking back at her. "Brand new me. Just what I needed."

"Do you want to shut up now? I've got back up on the way."

He looked to Olivia and lifted his free hand to awkwardly stroke her cheek. He could see her breathing, and he guessed all she would have was a bad headache and a lump on her head but he really wished she would wake up. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. He suddenly recalled something and looked back to the woman in front of them.

"Hang on, wait a minute, you're a policewoman," he suddenly realized.

"And you're breaking in/entering," she retorted. "See how this works?"

"But what're you doing here?" he questioned. "Where's Amelia?"

The look on the woman's face dropped from confidence to wonder as she shifted on her feet, asking, "Amelia Pond?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Amelia. Little Scottish girl. Where is she? I promised her five minutes but the engines were phasing. I suppose I must've gone a bit far. Did something happen to her?"

"Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time," the woman replied, looking him straight in the eye.

"_How_ long?" he demanded.

"Six months," she replied, unwavering.

"Theta…"

They both looked to Olivia as she groaned, waking up and looking to the Doctor with a frown.

"What happened?" she groaned, lifting a hand to her head. "My head hurts."

"Don't move, Liv," he murmured, lifting his free hand to rest it on her cheek when she looked at him and he looked into her eyes. "You don't have a concussion. You'll be fine."

"Where's Amelia?" she wondered, still frowning in pain.

"Not here," the Doctor replied, lowering his hand as he looked back to the policewoman. "Apparently not for six months, which it _can't_ be six months. I said five minutes. I promised."

"I was gonna say something earlier, but you wouldn't listen," Olivia groaned as the policewoman turned to speak into her radio again. "It's daylight outside. If we were back five minutes after we left, it still would've been dark outside."

The Doctor looked to her before looking to the policewoman again and calling, "What happened to her? What happened to Amelia Pond?"

"I don't think she's talking, Theta," Olivia murmured. He looked back at her and grinned, making her frown at him as she muttered, "What?"

"That's twice now," he murmured. "Twice, you've called me Theta. You haven't called me that since I regenerated. I thought you'd never call me that again."

"Of course I called you that," she frowned. "It's like when you call me Liv. You don't think about it, you just do it. It's no big deal."

"Of course it is," he argued. "Of course it's a big deal. It's a very big deal."

"Oi! You two! Stuff it!" the policewoman snapped, making the couple look up at her, Olivia unmoving, even though she wasn't bound in any way. Her head hurt far too much to even think of moving at the moment.

"I need to speak to whoever lives in this house, right now," the Doctor told her as Olivia shifted closer to him.

"_I_ live here," the woman replied, firmly.

"You're the _police_," the Doctor frowned in wonder.

"Yes, and this is where I _live_. Have you got a problem with that?"

"Rule of thumb, Doctor, don't anger the woman that handcuffed you to her radiator," Olivia muttered, and frowned slightly when the woman glanced to her with a split second smirk before it disappeared when she looked to the Doctor.

"How many rooms?" the Doctor asked her, making Olivia frown at him but she kept silent.

"I'm sorry, what?" the woman replied in confusion.

"How many rooms on this floor? Count them right now."

"Why?"

"Because it will change your life."

"Five," she finally replied, then pointed to each one as she counted them off. "One, two, three, four, five."

"Six," Olivia finally chimed in, making the Doctor and the woman look at her as she only stared ahead, and the Doctor realized she'd noticed it.

"Six?" the woman echoed with a strange frown as the Doctor only glanced between the two women.

"Look," Olivia breathed, not looking at either one of them.

"Look where?" the woman asked, warily.

"Exactly where you don't _want_ to look," Olivia replied, finally looking up at the woman. "Where you _never_ want to look. The corner of your eye. Look behind you."

The woman slowly turned and shifted on her feet, looking behind her, shaking her head in disbelief as she muttered, "That's…That is _not_ possible. How is that possible?"

"There's a perception filter all around the door," the Doctor explained. "I sensed it the last time I was here. I should've _seen_ it."

"I realized it the moment you asked her to count the rooms," Olivia explained, now looking at him, finding his hand as it sat on the floor and gripping it tightly.

"But that's a whole room," the woman breathed, not looking away from the door. "That's a whole room I never even noticed."

"The filter stopped you from noticing," Olivia explained.

"Something came here a while ago," the Doctor reported. "It was hiding. It's _still_ hiding and you _need_ to uncuff me now!"

She started stepping toward the door as she said, "I don't have the key. I lost it."

"How could you have lost it?!" the Doctor shouted as she stepped closer to the door and Olivia felt around in her pockets. "Stay away from that door!"

The woman stepped as close as she could to the door.

"Do not _touch_ that door!" he called, but she gripped the knob as Olivia shifted to look around their spot, trying to find something, the Doctor leaning in his spot to watch the woman. "Listen to me! Do not open that—"

She turned the knob and opened the door, making him throw a hand up in exasperation.

"Why does no one listen to me?" he demanded, watching the woman step into the room. "Do I just have a face that no one listens to…again?"

"Where is it?" Olivia growled, shuffling on her knees toward the Doctor to shove her hand into his pocket and make him jump as he frowned at her.

"Olivia! _Now_ is not the time for hanky-panky!" he mumbled, but she didn't look away from her work.

"I'm looking for the Sonic," she explained, shuffling around him to shove her hand into his other pocket. "I don't have it, so you must have it."

"My screwdriver!" he called to the woman in the room. "Silver thing! Blue at the end! Where did it go?!"

"There's nothing here," she called from inside the room.

"The perception filter kept you from seeing the whole room, what makes you think you can see the thing that put it there?" Olivia called back, looking around the floor for the Sonic as he looked to the door, waiting for the young woman to come back out as she searched through her hair then her pockets.

"Now please, just _get out_!" the Doctor called.

"Dammit!" she growled, making him frown at her. "Of all times not to have a bobby pin on me! I could've had you out of these cuffs already!"

"Silver thing…blue at the end?" the woman called from the room, catching their attentions to the door.

"My screwdriver, yeah," the Doctor called back as Olivia continued searching her pockets.

"It's here."

"Must've rolled under the door," he replied.

"Yeah…must've," she called back, unconvincingly, and her next softly spoken words were picked up by his keen hearing. "And then it must've jumped up onto the table."

"Get out of there," he called. "Get out of there! Get out! Get out of there!"

"Why don't you just let me help you?!" Olivia growled, standing and heading toward the room, but the Doctor grabbed her with his free hand and pulled her back, making her frown down at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

"I didn't want _her_ in there, what makes you think I want _you_ in that room?!" he snapped back, keeping a tight grip on her wrist as he called toward the room, "What is it? What are you doing?!"

"There's nothing here, but…" she trailed off, and the Doctor could hear the fear in her voice.

"Corner of your eye," Olivia reminded her before the Doctor tugged her back enough to make her stand next to his cuffed hand.

"What is it?" the woman asked, warily.

"Don't try to see it!" the Doctor warned. "If it knows you've seen it, it will _kill_ you! Don't look at it! Do not…look."

A scream suddenly erupted from the room and both the Doctor and Olivia yelled, "Get out!"

The woman came racing out of the room, the Sonic in her hand and she hurriedly stepped toward the Doctor to hand it to him. He used it on the door and Olivia frowned when she noticed the sounds blipping in and out before it hummed consistently and the door ahead of them locked. The Doctor tried to use it on his cuffs, but it wouldn't work.

"Oh, what's the bad alien done to you?" he groaned.

"Will that door hold it?" the woman hoped.

"Oh, yeah. It's an inter-dimensional multi-form from space. They're all _terrified_ of wood," the Doctor shot back.

The woman glared down at him as she stood to his right, Olivia kneeling on his left, taking the Sonic from him and trying to use it on the cuffs herself.

"It's not working," she ground out in frustration.

"Of course it's not working, Liv. Prisoner Zero got a hold of it!"

"Hey! Tell _her_ off all ya like, but don't get snippy with _me_!"

"What's that?" the woman questioned, panicking. "What's it doing?"

The two looked to the door to see it glowing around the edges before they both looked back to getting his cuffs off and fixing his screwdriver.

"I dunno," the Doctor admitted. "Run, just go. Your back-up's on the way. I'll be fine. Liv, go with her."

"There _is_ no back-up," the woman snapped, making the couple look up at her with wide eyes.

"No, I heard on your radio, you called for back-up," the Doctor recalled.

"I was pretending," she admitted. "It's a pretend radio."

"But you're a policewoman," Olivia chimed in.

"I'm a Kiss-a-gram!" she snapped, pulling her hat off to let her ginger hair tumble out of it and she tossed it across the room as the two stared at her in disbelief.

The three looked to the door ahead when it suddenly fell forward to reveal a man and his dog on the other side and they took a few steps forward before stopping.

"But it's just…"

"No it's not," the Doctor replied when the woman trailed off. "Look at the faces."

Both women's eyes widened as they watched the man bark at them with the dog's voice.

"What?" Olivia breathed.

"I'm sorry…_what_?!" the woman snapped looking down at the Doctor.

"It's one creature," he explained, not looking away from them. "One creature disguised as two. Clever old multi-form. Bit of a rushed job though. Got the voice a bit muddled, did you?"

"Don't talk to it!" Olivia hissed, tapping the Sonic in her hand.

"Mind you, where'd you get the pattern from?" he continued. "You'd need a psychic link. A live feed. How did you fix that?"

The man growled like the dog should've been and took another step forward before showing off its real, sharp teeth.

"Stay put!" the Doctor shouted before explaining, "The three of us are safe. You wanna know why?" He tapped the woman's foot, resuming, "She sent for back-up."

"I didn't send for back-up!" she snapped, making Olivia bow her head and shake it as she continued trying to fix the Sonic.

"I know," the Doctor grumbled. "That was a clever line to save our lives. Ok, yeah. _No_ back-up! And that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we _had_, back up, then you'd have to kill us."

"Attention Prisoner Zero," a deep voice called from somewhere far away, making the three freeze as the girls looked to the Doctor. "The human residence is surrounded."

"What's that?" Olivia whispered.

"That would be back-up," the Doctor muttered. "Ok! One more time. We _do_ have back-up and _that's_ why we're safe."

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence, or the human residence will be incinerated," the voice announced making the girls look to the Doctor again with wide eyes each.

"Well, safe apart from, you know…incineration," he added as the man and dog went into the room to the left to look out the window and the Doctor looked to Olivia as she fiddled with the Sonic. "Have you got it working yet?"

"Trying," she replied, tapping it on her hand before trying the button again then tapping it again. "Work, work, _work_!"

She tried the button again and grinned when the hum sounded, then used it on the cuffs to release the Doctor and let him scramble to his feet.

"Run!" he ordered them, grabbing the woman's hand and pulling her ahead of him before gripping Olivia's hand to drag her behind him. "Run!"

They all rushed out the front door and the Doctor locked it behind them asking the woman, "Kiss-a-gram?"

"Yes, a Kiss-a-gram," she shot back as they turned to head toward the TARDIS. "What's going on?"

"Why did you pretend to be a policewoman?" Olivia questioned.

"You broke into my house! It was this or a French maid! What's going on?! Tell me!" They all stopped at the TARDIS as the Doctor looked over the box and she shouted again, "Tell me!"

"An alien convict is hiding inside your room disguised as man and a dog and some other aliens are going to incinerate your house. Any questions?" the Doctor explained.

"Yes," the woman replied.

"I have questions," Olivia replied.

"Me too," the Doctor replied trying the door, but it wouldn't budge, making him shout, "No, no, _no_! Don't do that! Not now! It's still rebuilding. Not letting us in."

The girls looked up to the house to see Prisoner Zero barking at them and the ginger woman grabbed the Doctor's arm to pull him away from the TARDIS.

"Come on, you two!" she ordered, grabbing Olivia's hand as well to pull them away, but the Doctor resisted.

"Hang on!" he called, pulling away from her. "Wait, wait, wait! That shed!" He ran toward it to examine it. "I destroyed that shed the last time I was here! Smashed it to pieces!"

"So it's a new one! Let's go!" the woman shouted as Olivia stepped up next to the Doctor.

"Yeah, but it's _old_!" the Doctor observed, making Olivia look to the woman with a frown and the ginger looked back at her with terrified wide eyes. Olivia realized it as soon as the Doctor said, "It's _ten_ _years_ old! At _least_!"

He sniffed it then lifted a hand to taste one of his fingers that had touched it, before turning back to the woman, "Twelve years. I'm not six months late, I'm twelve _years_ late."

"Doctor, he's coming!" Olivia called, hearing the dog bark and gripping his arm to pull him away but he wouldn't move or look away from the woman.

"You said six _months_," the Doctor recalled. "Why did you say six months?"

"We've gotta go!" Olivia tried again.

"This matters," the Doctor told the ginger woman. "This is important. Why did you say six months?"

"Why did _you_ say five minutes?!" she finally shouted at him, making the Doctor's eyes widen at her before glancing to Olivia then the full grown Amelia Pond.

"What?" he breathed.

"Come on," Olivia called, pulling on his arm again.

"What?" he muttered.

"Come on!" Amy shouted at him, taking his other arm.

Both women dragged him out of the yard as he shouted, "_What_?!"

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	3. A Twenty Minute Mission

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 3: A Twenty Minute Mission**_

The three ran down the street, successfully losing Prisoner Zero and the Doctor stopped when he was sure they were safe for the moment to address something he was still confused about. He turned to Amy as she followed him and Olivia frowned at him, still gripping his hand.

"You're Amelia," he finally recognized.

Amy rolled her eyes and marched around him adding, "And _you're_ late."

"Amelia Pond, _you're_ the little girl," the Doctor continued, hurrying after her as Olivia rolled her eyes as well.

"Yes, Doctor, that's Amelia!" Olivia snapped, looking behind them to make sure they weren't being followed as the Doctor dragged her along with him, as usual.

"I'm Amelia, and _you're_ late," Amy shot back as they continued marching down the street.

"What happened?" the Doctor questioned.

"Twelve years," Amy retorted.

"You hit me with a cricket bat!" he recalled.

"Twelve years," Amy scoffed, giving him a look as if to say, 'Of _course_ I hit you with a cricket bat!'

"She's got a point," Olivia chimed in. "If I'd waited that long for you, _I'd_ have hit you with the nearest thing I could find."

"You waited four years and you _slapped_ me," the Doctor retorted, frowning at her incredulously and she only smiled sarcastically back at him.

"My point exactly," she chirped before he turned back to Amy.

"A _cricket bat_!" he snapped at her.

"Twelve years and four psychiatrists," she retorted, making the couple frown at her in wonder.

"Four?" Olivia questioned.

"I kept biting them," she replied, shamefully.

"Why?" the Doctor smiled in amusement and Amy looked back at them, glancing to Olivia first before meeting the Doctor's gaze.

"They said you weren't real," she replied, but something else caught their attention in the form of an ice cream van playing something frightening instead of music.

"_Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence, or the human residence will by incinerated_," the speakers from the van warned.

"What?" Amy squeaked in confusion as the three stopped and stared at the van.

"We're being staked out, by an ice cream van," Olivia blurted before the Doctor dragged her toward the van, Amy racing after him and his hand slipped from Olivia's when he leaned into the window where the man inside was fiddling with the connection.

"What is that? Why are you playing that?" the Doctor questioned him.

"It's supposed to be Claire de Lune," the man replied, glancing between them all.

The Doctor lifted the radio inside the window to listen to the warning in his ear before he set it back down and spun around in his spot to look over his surroundings then ran to the middle of the street and stared at all the people looking at their gadgets in confusion.

"It's everywhere here," Olivia breathed, stepping up next to him and looking around as he did. "It's playing on everything."

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amy questioned, but he said nothing as he bolted toward the nearest house, the girls chasing after him as he jumped the white picket fence but they went around to the gate.

The Doctor ran into the front door of the house first, dashing into the living room where an old woman was trying to watch TV as Olivia and Amy caught up and he called, "Hello! Sorry to burst in, but we're doing a special on television problems in this area."

He glanced to Amy in her costume before adding, "Also crimes."

Amy retreated behind the couch as the Doctor stepped up next to the woman to take the remote from her and Olivia stayed put, staring at the TV screen where a huge eye stared at them.

"I was just about to phone," the woman explained. "It's on every channel."

She turned to look at Amy and smiled, "Oh, hello, Amelia. Are you a policewoman now?"

"Well…sometimes," Amy nodded along as Olivia smirked in amusement, the Doctor glancing at her from his work with the remote.

"I thought you were a nurse," the woman recalled.

"I can…be a nurse," Amy replied, hesitantly, her heart racing in panic as the Doctor looked to Olivia who tried very hard to suppress a giggle.

"Or actually a nun?" the woman added, still staring at Amy and Olivia couldn't help but let out a raspberry of a laugh, making Amy shoot wide eyes at her for a moment before turning back to the woman.

"I dabble," Amy smiled, laughing as she tried to hide the fact that she was lying through her teeth and not doing a very good job of it.

"Amy, who are your friends?" the woman asked, changing the subject.

"Who's Amy?" the Doctor frowned, looking from the remote in his hand to the young woman. "You were _Amelia_."

"Yeah? Now I'm Amy," she shot back.

"Amelia Pond," the Doctor recalled. "That was a _great_ name."

"But Fairy Tale," Amy retorted.

"I know you, don't I?" the woman asked, looking over the Doctor and Olivia noticed Amy shift on her feet, making her frown in wonder but she said nothing. "I've seen you somewhere before."

"Not me. Brand new face," the Doctor smiled as Olivia stepped up next to him and took the remote to try changing the channel on the TV. She glanced back at the Doctor just in time to see him open his mouth wide to stretch his face and frowned at him before trying to the remote. "First time on."

"Amy," Olivia called. "Explain what a Kiss-a-gram is. I've never heard of it."

"I go to parties and I…kiss people," she replied, making the Doctor look up at her incredulously as Olivia turned to frown at her. "With outfits. It's a laugh!"

"You were a little girl five minutes ago," the Doctor scolded.

"You're worse than my aunt!" Amy shot back.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm worse than everybody's aunt," he told her firmly before looking to the old woman, the Sonic in his hand. "And that is _not_ how I'm introducing myself. Liv, darling, could you give me that radio there?"

Olivia frowned and looked to the table before turning and setting the remote down to lift the radio and hand it to the Doctor. He used the Sonic on it to tune it to different channels, but the same message played on every channel in different languages.

"Ok," he murmured, looking to Olivia and handing her the radio. "So it's everywhere…in every language."

"So…they're broadcasting to the whole world," Olivia guessed and he nodded to her before he darted toward the window to open it and stick his head outside to look up at the sky.

"What's up there?" Amy asked him, coming up next to him with Olivia and the old woman. "What are you looking for?"

The Doctor pulled his head back in and looked to Olivia, "Ok, planet this size, two poles? Basic molten core?"

"Yes," Olivia nodded, trying to board his train of thought as a young man stepped through the front door and headed toward the living room.

"They're only gonna need forty percent for an efficient blast," he continued, turning to head toward the man then stopped in front of him to stand on his tip toes and meet his tall height. "But they're gonna have to power up first. So, assuming it's a medium sized starship…that's twenty minutes."

He looked back to Olivia, lowering himself back down as the man in front of him stared at him in confusion as the Doctor asked, "What do you think? Twenty minutes?"

He looked back at the tall man, raising himself to his tiptoes again before murmuring, "Yeah…twenty minutes. We've got twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes to what?" Amy questioned as the Doctor lowered himself to his feet again and stepped toward the three women next to the window, stopping in front of Olivia as she looked into his eyes. They were new eyes, but she knew the look in them. It was an old look and one that she knew too well, making her heart race in panic.

"Are you the Doctor?" the tall young man suddenly asked, making the couple frown at each other in wonder at the question. How did _he_ know about him?

"He _is_, isn't he?!" the old woman grinned, making the two look to her in wonder as she looked to Amy. "He's the Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor! All those cartoons you did when you were little! The Raggedy Doctor! It's _him_!"

"And it's Olivia!" the man grinned, making her frown at him. "The Doctor's assistant, Olivia!"

"Assistant?" she muttered before looking to Amy with a glare and the other woman glanced around as if she knew nothing. Olivia gasped when she turned back and the young man was right in front of her. "What the—?!"

"Of the two of you, I liked _you_ the best," he explained. "You're even prettier in person."

"Oh," Olivia chirped with a flirtatious smile, running a hand through her tangled hair, forgetting that she looked just as raggedy as the Doctor did at the moment. "Thank you."

"Olivia, behave," the Doctor scolded, making her lower her hand and turn away from the young man as the Doctor looked back at Amy. "Cartoons?"

He suddenly gripped Olivia's hand and pulled her with him to sit on the couch as the young man, the old woman and Amy watched them.

"It's them isn't it?" the young man breathed. "It's really them!"

"Jeff, shut up," Amy ordered before nervously scratching her head and looking to the Doctor and Olivia as they both stared at the TV with the huge eye on its screen. "Twenty minutes to what?"

The Doctor fidgeted as all eyes were on him and he looked to Olivia before replying "The human residence. They're not talking about your house they're talking about the planet. Somewhere out there is a spaceship…and it's going to incinerate the planet. Twenty minutes till the end of the world."

Olivia's hand tightened on the Doctor's and he looked to her as she stared wide eyes at him, fear in those jade depths he knew he loved so much. He knew everything about her, and that he loved her, and that he had to protect her, but he couldn't figure himself out, and he found it completely unfair.

"Come on!" he chirped, standing and pulling Olivia with him to drag her toward the door. "Nothing more I can do here. Need to get out! Have a bit of fresh air! Coming, Amelia?!"

Amy launched after them and when they reached the street he marched onward in no particular direction, still holding Olivia's hand as Amy caught up with them.

"What is this place?" he questioned Amy. "Where am I?"

"Ledworth," Amy replied.

"Where's the _rest_ of it?" Olivia wondered with a frown.

"This is it."

"Is there an airport?" the Doctor asked.

"No."

"Nuclear power station?"

"No," Amy scoffed.

"Even just a little one?"

"No."

"Nearest city?"

"Foster. Half an hour by car."

"Don't have half an hour. Do we have a car?"

Amy cringed when she replied, "No."

"Well that's good!" the Doctor retorted. "That's fantastic! Just twenty minutes to save the world and I've got a _post office_! And it's _shut_!"

"Doctor, darling, now is really not the time to get snippy," Olivia tried, rubbing his arm with her free hand.

"There's _nothing_, Liv!" he snapped. "We're in a town with nothing _useful_ and we've got twenty minutes before the planet's incinerated! I _think_ I can be a tad snippy!"

He pointed ahead, demanding, "_What_ is that?!"

"It's a duck pond," Amy frowned at him in wonder as the Doctor dragged Olivia toward the thing he'd pointed at and they stopped at the edge of the small duck pond so the Doctor could turn to Amy when she caught up.

"Why aren't there any ducks?" he questioned.

"There're never any ducks," Amy replied.

"Then…how do you know it's a duck pond?" Olivia couldn't help but wonder.

"It just is," Amy shrugged at her. "Is it important? A duck pond?"

"I don't know," the Doctor replied, suddenly jerking and spasming as he took a step back and Olivia gripped his arm to keep him from falling into the pond. "Why would _I_ know?"

"Doctor!" Olivia gasped, helping him sit down as he held one hand to one of his hearts and she sat next to him to catch his gaze. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, it's just…" he trailed off, glancing between the girls as Amy stood next to them but he looked to Olivia, explaining. "This is too soon. I'm not ready. I'm not done yet."

The sky suddenly went dark and the three looked up at the sun in wonder to see the sun changing color.

"What is it?" Amy asked. "Why's it going dark?"

The sun's color suddenly shifted again so that it was brighter, but the ball of fire looked red and angry as it flared in the sky.

"Doctor, what's wrong with the sun?" Olivia frowned, none of them looking away from the sight.

"Nothing," he replied, starting to relax again. "You're looking at it through a force field. They've sealed off the upper atmosphere and now they're getting ready to boil the planet."

That made both girls stare at him with wide eyes before he looked around and stood, Olivia right next to him and she took his hand, making him look to their hands for a moment as she only stared at the people suddenly around them pointing their mobile phones at the sky.

"What are they doing?" she questioned as he looked back at them.

"Oh, and here they come," he retorted. "The human race. See, the end comes, as it was always going to, down a _video_ _phone_."

"This isn't real, is it?" Amy muttered, making the couple look at her with frowns each. "This is some kind of big…wind-up."

"Why would we wind you up?" Olivia asked, both watching Amy bring her entwined hands to her chin nervously as she looked around at their surroundings.

"You told me you had a time machine," she recalled.

"And you believed me," the Doctor reminded her.

"Then I grew up," she explained.

"Oh, God," the Doctor grumbled. "You never wanna do that. No! Wait! Hang on! Shut up! Wait! I missed it!"

He smacked his forehead hard with his hand making both girls jump and stare at him in disbelief.

"I saw it, and I missed it!" he said again, slamming his hand into his forehead again.

"Doctor! Stop it!" Olivia ordered, gripping both his arms and stepping in front of him to keep him from hitting himself again. "That's not going to help!"

She gasped when he gripped her arms and stared into her eyes, muttering, "I saw. What did I see? I saw."

His eyes shifted over her face as she only stared back at him, and she could tell he was looking through her as he tried to figure out what he'd missed. He suddenly let her go and looked to a clock on the street then looked to Amy.

"Twenty minutes," he smirked, stepping toward her. "I _can_ do it. Twenty minutes. The planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say good bye…or stay and help _me_."

Olivia couldn't help but smile at his tone, sounding like his old self, but her smile instantly dropped at what Amy's reply was.

"No," she chirped, making the Doctor frown and lean toward her a bit as if he didn't hear her.

"I'm-I'm sorry?" he mumbled.

"_No_!" she shouted, gripping his tie and turning to drag him by it to the nearest car as the driver got out. Amy shoved the Doctor against the car, slamming the door on his tie and took the keys from the old man to lock it as Olivia hurried up to them, stopping next to Amy with a glare.

"Look, you're still kinda new, but you should know that _I'm_ the only one that gets to drag him around by his tie like that," she explained, making Amy turn her own glare at her, but she only smiled back. "Just for future reference."

She reached for the keys which Amy snatched out of her reach and the Doctor tried pulling his tie from the door, but it didn't work.

"Are you out of your mind?!" the Doctor snapped at Amy who met his gaze.

"Who are you?" Amy questioned, the old man that owned the car frowning between the three.

"You _know_ who I am."

"No really…who are you?"

"Look at the sky. End of the world. _Twenty minutes_!" Olivia growled, trying to snatch the keys from her again but she yanked them out of reach again.

"Well, he'd better talk _quickly_ then," Amy shot back, still staring at the Doctor.

"Amy, I am going to need my car," the old man reported, hesitantly.

"Yes, in a bit. Now go and have coffee."

He reluctantly complied, walking away as the two still stared at each other before the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled something out of it, tossing it into the air and Amy caught it to stare wide eyes at the apple in her hand with a smiley face carved into it.

"I'm the Doctor," he began with a slight smile. "I'm a time traveler. Everything I told you twelve years ago _is true_. And _real_. What's happening in the sky _is real_ and if you don't let me go right now, everything you've known is over."

"I don't believe you," Amy replied, gripping the apple but Olivia noticed doubt in her own words and stepped between him and Amy.

"Just twenty minutes then, Amy," she pleaded, taking the hand she held the apple with in both of hers. "Just believe him…believe _us_, for twenty minutes. Look at that apple. Fresh as the day you gave it to him, right? You _know_ it's the same one. _I_ know it's the same one, because I was there. Please, Amy."

She watched the young woman closely, before Amy looked to the Doctor behind Olivia and when he nodded to her, in that moment, something shifted in Amy's eyes. She believed again. She was Amelia Pond once more.

The alarm disengaging on the car sounded and Olivia grinned, quickly opening the door and releasing the Doctor's tie as Amy asked, "What do we do?"

"Stop that nurse," the Doctor grinned, gripping Olivia's hand and pulling her with him as he ran back to the courtyard, Amy following as close as she could. The Doctor slowed when he reached the man he was running toward and took his phone to look at the picture on it before turning back to him, handing him the phone and questioning, "The sun's going out and you're photographing a man and a dog. Why?"

Amy quickly skidded to a stop next to the nurse, catching his attention and he greeted her with a smile.

"Hi," she smiled back, out of breath before looking to the Doctor and Olivia to introduce him. "Oh, this is Rory. He's a…friend."

"Boyfriend," Rory corrected, trying to sound casual and making Olivia frown.

"Kind of boyfriend," Amy argued.

"Amy—"

"Man and dog. Why?" the Doctor demanded.

Rory was silent as they all stared at each other and he glanced between the couple in front of him before realization struck him and he said, "Oh, my God, it's them!"

"Just answer his question," Amy urged, trying to change the subject and Olivia bowed her head into a hand, realizing what had happened. Fame was such a burden.

"It's them though," Rory insisted. "The Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor, and his assistant, Olivia."

"Yeah," Amy replied, casually. "They came back."

"But they were a story," Rory recalled. "They were a game—!"

The Doctor closed the gap between them and gripped Rory's jacket collar to get his attention to demand, "Man and dog. Why? Tell me now!"

"Sorry," Rory blurted before explaining. "Because…he can't be there because he's…"

"In a hospital…in a coma," the Doctor and Rory said together, as if the Doctor was reading his mind and Rory nodded as the Doctor let go of him and grinned, turning to Olivia to say, "Knew it. Multi-form, ya see? Can disguise itself as anything but it needs a live feed. A psychic link with a living but _dormant_ mind."

A bark caught their attention and they all jumped to look at the man and dog that were Prisoner Zero. The Doctor turned with a confident smirk and began to step closer, but Olivia gripped his arm, making him look to her with a frown.

"Doctor, don't," she pleaded, shaking her head but he only smiled at her, placing a hand over hers where it gripped his arm, tightly.

"It's alright, Liv," he nodded. "Stay here."

He turned and stepped away from her, Olivia letting her hand fall from his arm as she swallowed in fear, her heart thumping in her chest. She wouldn't have been so frightened if he was at _least_ done regenerating, but if anything happened to him now, he might have been done for good, and that scared her more than anything.

"Prisoner Zero," the Doctor smirked, and Olivia ignored Rory asking Amy something as a noise suddenly caught her attention.

They all looked up to see a spaceship flying through the sky, a huge eye at the center of an icicle-looking disc, a beam coming from the eye as it looked around the surface of the Earth.

The Doctor looked back to Prisoner Zero and explained, "See that ship is scanning for non-terrestrial technology, and I think _nothing_ says non-terrestrial like Sonic Screwdriver."

The Doctor grinned as he held the Sonic in the air and held the button down. Everything turned to chaos then. Lights went out, cars and scooters were driving themselves, a phone booth exploded and all to get the attention of the ship in the sky.

"I think someone's gonna notice, don't you?" the Doctor asked Prisoner Zero who growled in anger at him.

The Sonic suddenly sparked, and the Doctor dropped it to the ground as Olivia ran toward him to see what had happened as he knelt down next to it. The Sonic had exploded from an overload of usage.

"No!" the Doctor shouted. "No! No! Don't _do_ that!"

"The Sonic Screwdriver," Olivia breathed. "I loved that Sonic Screwdriver."

They all turned to look to the sky and saw the ship turning to leave.

"No! Come back! He's here!" the Doctor shouted as Amy looked back to Prisoner Zero in time to see him dissolve into the drain at its feet.

"Doctor!" she called, drawing his attention to where she was looking. "The drain it just…sort of melted and went down the drain."

"Well, of _course_ it did," the Doctor retorted.

"What do we do now?" Olivia asked.

"It's hiding in human form," he replied. "We need to drive it into the open. No TARDIS. No screwdriver. Seventeen minutes. Think…_think_."

He marched toward the drain where Prisoner Zero had disappeared, followed by the other three and Amy questioned, "So that thing…_that_ hid in my room for twelve years?"

"Multi-forms can live for a millennium," the Doctor replied. "Twelve years is a pit stop."

"So how come _you_ two show up again the very same day _that_ lot show up? The very same _minute_," Amy demanded.

"They were looking for him, but they saw me," he explained. "They saw me through the crack. They got a fix on an alien, 'cause I am."

"What's he on about?" Rory asked.

"Nurse boy, give me your phone," the Doctor demanded.

"Use his _name_, Doctor," Olivia whispered, making him frown at her.

"How can they be real?" Rory asked Amy. "They were never real."

"I don't remember his _name_," he retorted to Olivia before looking back at Rory with his hand outstretched. "Phone. Now. Gimme!"

Rory handed over his phone before continuing, "It was a game. We were kids. _You_ made me dress up as him."

"She did _what_ now?" Olivia questioned, glancing between Rory and Amy before keeping her gaze on Amy. "You made your now boyfriend dress up as the Doctor…_my_ boyfriend?"

"He's your boyfriend?" Rory questioned with wide eyes.

"Wait, if he dressed up as the Doctor, who was me?" Olivia wondered with a frown, looking to Rory.

"I tried to get Amy to dress up as you, but she wouldn't do it," Rory reported, making Olivia look back at Amy with a slight glare.

"We had a friend of ours pretend to be you," Amy shrugged. "But she never really did it right."

"These photos," the Doctor finally cut in, still staring at the phone as he had done the entire conversation. "They're all coma patients."

"Yes," Rory confirmed.

"Wrong, they're all the multi-form," the Doctor corrected. "Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero."

"He had a dog though," Amy noticed. "There's a dog in a coma?"

"Well, if the coma patient dreams he's walking a dog, Prisoner Zero gets a dog," the Doctor replied then looked to Amy. "Laptop! Your friend! What was his name? Not him, the good looking one."

"Thanks," Rory blurted.

"Jeff," Amy replied.

"Oh, _thanks_!"

Olivia patted his shoulder in sympathy as he was ignored for the moment.

"He had a laptop, in his bag," the Doctor explained, setting a hand around their shoulders as he continued, "A laptop. _Big_ bag. _Big_ laptop! I need Jeff's laptop! You two, get to the hospital, get everyone out of the ward. Clear the floor, phone me when you're done!"

He grinned between them before turning to head back toward Jeff's house but frowned when he heard footsteps behind him and stopped to whirl around, frowning down at Olivia when she stopped in her tracks so she wouldn't ram into him.

"Where're you going?" he questioned, making her frown as well.

"I'm going with _you_," she replied, as if he should know.

"No you're not. You're going with them."

"No I'm _not_. I'm going with _you_."

"The Earth's gonna be incinerated and you're _arguing_ with me?!"

"Yes! Because you need me now, more than ever, no matter what you think."

"Oh, Liv," he smiled, cupping his face with her hands to look her in the eye. "I _do_ need you. I need you to go with Amy and Rory and help _them_. I'll be doing something clever and you'll be doing something brave. Just like before. The old team, back together again, eh?"

"Are we?" she breathed, unable to keep herself from asking. "You're gonna leave me after this again, aren't you?"

"That won't be _my_ choice this time," he replied, bringing her close to place a kiss on her forehead before she stared at him with wide eyes. "Now, I know we haven't been separated since I regenerated, but you've got to do this for me now, alright?"

All she could do was nod as she felt her heart thumping against her chest.

"There's my girl," he grinned, leaning forward to give her a quick Eskimo kiss and she couldn't help but giggle before he set his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to push her toward Amy and Rory as they ran to his car. "Go on, then!"

He watched her hurry toward the mini coup as the couple waited for her and felt his hearts sink as he turned to head toward Jeff's house. He knew she wouldn't stay with him…not after he'd changed. She may have loved him, but he could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him. It was what he had feared. She didn't look at him the same way she had before, and he wished more than anything now that he could break the rules and go back to change all of it.

* * *

**A/N: **reviews?


	4. A Doctor by Any Other Name

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 4: A Doctor by Any Other Name**_

"Come on, Doctor," Olivia grumbled into her phone as she and Amy both took turns to call him from the hospital. She looked to Amy as she hung up and replied, "Your turn."

"Something's happened, we can't get through," Rory reported as he hurried toward the girls from the crowd at the door of one of the wards, Amy trying to call the Doctor.

"But _what's_ happened?" Amy asked, nodding to Olivia that it was her turn to try calling him.

"I don't know," Rory replied. "No one knows. Phone him."

"Phoning him." Olivia reported, putting the phone to her ear after dialing.

"_Hello!_" she heard the Doctor grin into the phone on his end.

"Doctor, we're at the hospital, but we can't get through," she reported.

"_Tell Amy to look in the mirror_," he replied, making Olivia frown and look to her before grinning.

"Amy, he says look in the mirror," she repeated, making the ginger frown before she did then she grinned as well.

"Ha ha! Uniform!" Amy grinned, then attempted to pull her hair into a bun as Olivia spoke to the Doctor again.

"Are you on your way?" Olivia hoped. "You're gonna need a car."

"_Don't worry, Liv_," she heard him grin. "_I've commandeered a vehicle_."

She winced and pulled the phone from her ear when she heard the alarm of a fire truck blare from his end and couldn't help smiling as she shook her head.

"_Olivia!_" she heard him shout and placed the phone back to her ear. "_You three be careful and I'll see you in a bit!_"

"We will," she replied before glancing up at the couple who ran toward the crowd to get into the ward, Amy claiming she was the police. "I've gotta go. You be careful too!"

She hung up and ran after Amy and Rory who headed for the lift and barely made it inside after them.

"He's on his way," she told them, pocketing her phone before the lift stopped and the three hurried out and into the hall to find it a wreck. They hurried down the hall before stopping at a corner where a woman and her two daughters turned and faced them, making them stop.

"Officer," the woman called, pitifully but Olivia frowned in wonder at why they were even there when everyone had run away from whatever had happened.

"What happened?" Amy questioned, glancing between the three.

"There was a man," the woman explained as Olivia pulled out her phone to call the Doctor. "I man with a dog. I think the doctor and nurses are dead."

"Doctor?" Olivia called into her phone.

"_Are you in?_" he nearly demanded.

"Yeah," she nodded. "So's Prisoner Zero."

"_You need to get out of there!_" the Doctor ordered, but Olivia looked to the woman and two little girls with wide eyes when one of them spoke.

"He just kept shouting and shouting, and that dog…the size of that dog! I swear it was rabid," said the little girl…with her mother's voice. "And he just went mad, attacking everyone. Where did he go? Did you see? We were in the ladies."

"Doctor?" Olivia murmured as the three began backing away slowly. "You better be close."

"Oh, I'm getting it wrong again, aren't I?" the woman asked, knowingly. "I'm always doing that. So many mouths."

Prisoner Zero disguised as the woman and two girls revealed its teeth through all three of them with a monstrous screech.

"Oh, my God!" Rory shouted as the three jumped back.

"_Olivia?_" the Doctor called. "_Olivia? What's going on?!_"

"Not now, darling," Olivia retorted as they turned and ran down the hall to the double doors at the end.

They shut them just in time to stop Prisoner Zero as it chased them, and Rory shoved a broom into the handles of the door to keep it shut as they backed away from the door.

"_Olivia, talk to me!_" the Doctor shouted.

"Alright," she panted as the doors moved back and forth from Prisoner Zero trying to shove past it. "We're alright…for now. We're in the coma ward. But it's here. It's getting in."

"_Which window are you?_" he ordered.

"Uh…" Olivia trailed off, before asking Amy, "Which window are we?"

"First floor off the lift," Amy replied, taking a moment to count before finishing, "Fourth from the end."

"Doctor? Did you get that?" Olivia asked, but she didn't hear if he answered as the door burst open to reveal Prisoner Zero, still in the form of the woman and two little girls.

"Oh, dear, little Amelia Pond," the women smirked as she slowly stepped into the room. "I watched you grow up. Twelve years and you never even knew I was there. Little Amelia Pond, waiting for her magic Doctor to return. But not this time, Amelia."

"Amy," Olivia called, shoving past Rory to stand right behind Amy's ear. "Don't listen, Amy. He's coming. You know he is. He's on his way."

Prisoner Zero revealed its teeth through the woman as the three stared at it before an alert came in on Olivia's phone. She frowned at it and quickly read the text.

_DUCK_

Olivia grabbed Rory and Amy's hands to pull them both with her just as the end of a ladder came crashing through the window next to them where they'd cornered themselves. Glass shattered around them before something else came through the window on the ladder…or rather some_one_. The Doctor climbed in through the window and jumped off, landing between Amy and Olivia.

"Right…hello!" he grinned between them before wrapping an arm around Olivia's neck to bring her close and press a kiss to her forehead then looked to Amy. "Am I late? No."

He stood and looked to the clock above the door, continuing, "Three minutes to go. Still got time."

"Time for what…_Time Lord_?" Prisoner Zero questioned in a sneer.

The Doctor sauntered toward Prisoner Zero as the three near the window stood and Olivia was about to head after him but Amy grabbed her arm, nodding at Rory to help her when she struggled. Rory grabbed her other arm to pull her back with them, but she still struggled.

"Get off me!" she growled.

"He's got a plan, doesn't he?" Amy asked, pulling her back to speak lowly. "He doesn't want you too close so you won't get hurt, right? I heard you back at my house. Stay here with us."

That made Olivia stop struggling and stand with the couple, staring at the Doctor as she tried to swallow her fear.

"Take your disguise off, they'll find you in a heartbeat," the Doctor told Prisoner Zero. "Nobody dies."

"The Atraxi will _kill _me this time," Prisoner Zero replied. "If I am to die, let there be fire."

"Ok," the Doctor chuckled. "You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again. Just leave."

"_I_ did not open the crack."

"_Somebody_ did," the Doctor argued.

"The cracks in the skin of the universe," Prisoner Zero taunted. "Don't you know where they came from?" The Doctor didn't reply, she raised her brows, mockingly guessing, "You _don't_ do you?"

"The Doctor in the TARDIS doesn't know," Prisoner Zero teased in one of the little girl's voices, then sang, "Doesn't know. Doesn't know."

"The universe is cracked," it continued in the woman's voice this time. "The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."

Olivia frowned in absolute confusion as Amy and Rory looked to her for an answer but she only shook her head, feeling their eyes on her. The clock at the top of the door caught her attention when it changed the time and her frown deepened, but the Doctor soon answered _that_ question.

"And we're off," he grinned, noticing it as well. "Look at that." He pointed to the clock. "Look at _that_!"

Everyone looked to the clock to see the hour and minutes were on zero.

"Yeah, I know it's just a clock, whatever, but do you know what's happening, right now?" he asked as everyone looked back to him when he dropped his arm to his side again. "In one little bedroom, my team are working. Jeff and the world. And, do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word, all over the world. _Quantum_ fast. The word is out! And do you know what the word is? The word is Zero.

"Now, me, if I was up in a battleship in the sky monitoring all Earth's communications, I might take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battle fleet surrounding the planet I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to the source in…what?" The Doctor paused, shoving his hand into his pocket to look at Olivia and shrug, "Under a minute you think, Liv?"

She couldn't help but smirk before nodding, "Oh, yeah. About that."

The Doctor turned back to Prisoner Zero, pulling his hand from his pocket to hold out Rory's phone, adding, "The source, by the way, is right here."

A bright light shone throughout the room from outside, making Amy and Rory turn to the windows to look out. Olivia still smirked as she stepped toward the Doctor to stand next to him, catching his attention as she stared at Prisoner Zero.

"And I think they just found it," she smirked.

"The Atraxi are limited," Prisoner Zero retorted. "While I'm in this form they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked a _phone_…not me."

"Yeah," the Doctor grinned. "But this is the good bit. I mean this is…my _favorite_ bit. Do you _know_ what this phone is full of? Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right _here_. Ooh…and being uploaded right…now."

He pressed the button on the screen of the phone, continuing, "All this with no TARDIS, now screwdriver and two minutes to spare. Who da man?!"

Olivia frowned at him, and he looked to her before turning to Amy and Rory who frowned at him as well and he turned away, muttering, "Oh, it's…I'm never saying that again. Fine."

Olivia cleared her throat to catch his attention and when he looked to her she whispered, "_You_ da man."

He grinned before looking back to Prisoner Zero.

"Then I shall take a _new_ form," it replied smugly.

"Oh, stop it," the Doctor groaned. "You know you can't. It takes _months_ to form that kind of psychic link."

"Ah, but this mind is so special," Prisoner Zero smirked. "And _you_ should know, Doctor."

He frowned but looked to Olivia when she was suddenly leaning against him and he caught her before she fell, lowering her to the ground slowly.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, hovering over Olivia as she now slept. "Liv! Come on! Don't do this!"

"Who is _that_?" Amy frowned in wonder

The Doctor looked to the new image of Prisoner Zero as the bright light outside disappeared and he felt his hearts skip as he frowned in wonder. He knew the face well. It was his tenth regeneration, the body he'd had when he and Olivia met.

"That's me," he explained, standing to step around Olivia as Rory rushed toward her, his nurse training kicking in to help her. "Or it _was_ me. But you're linked to _her_. Why imitate _me_?"

"I'm not," a voice said from behind him and the Doctor stared in wonder as an eighteen year old Olivia Felton stepped out from behind the tall Tenth Doctor, holding his hand and looking exactly as she had when they first met, in her prom dress. "It's _your_ fault, you know? You opened her mind, and as such, she's vulnerable to all sorts of telepathic intrusions. Her genius is her weakness…and so are you. She still sees herself as you met her. The pretty prom queen, ready for her prom king. Shall I tell you what she wants most?"

"Stop it," the Doctor snapped. "Let her go _now_."

"She wants _me_," the Tenth smirked, making the Doctor glare at him. "She always has. And now that I'm _you_, she'll want to leave, and you know it."

"I'm warning you," the Doctor smirked. "Let her go, and it won't hurt a bit."

"Oh, you mean her telepathic training?" Olivia's copy smirked. "That's alright. I'll just take another form before she has time to use it. Another form that can't be detected. And this one I've had _years_ to link with."

"Amy!" Rory called, making the Doctor whirl around in time to see Amy fall and Rory shot to his feet to run toward her, leaving Olivia to groan as she awoke.

"What…?" she muttered as the Doctor grabbed her hand to drag her easily across the floor where she still sat. "What are you doing?!"

"Amy!" the Doctor called, drawing her attention to Amy as well and they all crowded around her as the Doctor took her face into his hands. "Amy! Listen to me! You've got to hold on! Amy! Don't sleep! You've gotta stay awake!"

"Doctor," Rory called, making him and Olivia look up at Prisoner Zero to see an exact replica of the Doctor as he was now and he sat up on his knees, staring at it.

"Well that's rubbish," he muttered. "Who is that supposed to be?"

"It's _you_," Olivia explained.

"Me?" he asked before looking down at himself then back at Prisoner Zero. "Is that what I look like?"

"You don't know?" Rory wondered.

"Busy day," Olivia explained, as the Doctor stood to head toward Prisoner Zero.

"Why me…again?" he questioned. "Again, you're linked with her. Why are you copying me? Or…?"

"Poor Amy Pond," a familiar child's voice replied as a little Amelia stepped out from behind the Doctor, holding his hand. "Still such a child inside, dreaming of the magic Doctor she knows will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been…to _both_ your companions."

Olivia gave a frown of wonder at Prisoner Zero's words before looking to the Doctor as he stared at the two for a moment.

"No, she's dreaming about me because she can _hear_ me," he replied, turning to run back toward Amy to lean over her, his hands on her face. "Amy, don't just hear me, _listen_. Remember the room…the room in your house you couldn't see. Remember you went inside. I tried to stop you but you _did_. You went in the room…you went inside. Amy…dream about what you saw."

"No!" the copy of Amelia called.

"Doctor, look," Olivia urged, making him look up at Prisoner Zero as it transformed. He stood and stepped back toward it, Olivia afraid to move as she stared at the snake-like alien that seemed to be hanging from the ceiling.

"Well done, Prisoner Zero," the Doctor complimented. "The perfect impersonation of yourself."

Bright light flooded the room again and Prisoner Zero thrashed for a moment as a deep voice called, "Prisoner Zero is located. Prisoner Zero is restrained."

It stopped thrashing to glare at the Doctor and hiss, "Silence, Doctor. Silence will fall."

Prisoner Zero disappeared and the bright lights faded as a draft blew through the ward and the Doctor ran toward the window to look out, making Olivia frown at him.

"The sun is back to normal, right?" Rory asked, still kneeling next to Amy as Olivia stood next to the Doctor who was dialing something into Rory's phone. "That's good, yeah? That means it's over."

"Doctor, what did it mean by Silence will fall?" Olivia asked.

"I dunno," the Doctor muttered as he walked around Rory and Amy, patting his head with Olivia following him as he still dialed into the phone.

Olivia heard Amy and Rory talking as she woke up, but asked, "What are you doing?"

"What happened?" Amy asked as she sat up.

"He did it," Rory explained. "The Doctor did it."

"No I didn't," the Doctor replied, making the three frown at him in wonder.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"Tracking back the signal," the Doctor replied. "Sorry in advance."

"For what?" Rory asked.

"The bill," the Doctor winced, but frowned when a hand covered his as he held the phone and pulled it down. He looked to Olivia as she smiled, sweetly and held her phone to him, making his frown deepen at it slightly before he met her gaze again asking, "What?"

"You gave me intergalactic roaming, remember?" she smiled. "Use mine. Torchwood pays my bills. They won't think anything of it."

The Doctor smiled and took her phone before turning to toss Rory's back to him and he quickly dialed in the number then put the phone to his ear.

"Oi! I didn't say you could _go_!" he shouted into the phone. "Article fifty-seven of the Shadow Proclamation. _This_ is a fully established level _five_ planet. And you were gonna _burn_ it? What? Did you think no one was watching? You lot, back here, _now_."

He turned and handed Olivia back her phone before turning to Rory and confirming, "Ok…_now_, I've done it."

Olivia smirked as he winked at her before heading out of the ward and she followed him with a grin.

"Uh…did he just bring them back?" Rory called as Amy stood to run after the two. "Did he just save the Earth from aliens and then bring all the aliens _back_ again?!"

"Where are we going?" Olivia grinned, slipping her hand into his as she matched his pace.

"The roof!" he grinned back. "No…hang on…"

He trailed off, making a turn through a door and dragging Olivia behind him as Amy hurried after them, Rory bringing up the rear. Olivia frowned when they found themselves in the staff locker rooms.

"What's in here?" Amy questioned as the Doctor grabbed shirts and ties and jackets, looking them over and either tossing them over his shoulder or handing them to Olivia to hold.

"I'm saving the world," he replied, not stopping. "I _need_ a decent shirt. To _hell_ with the raggedy. Time to put on a show."

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth!" Rory reminded the Doctor as he yanked off his tie and Olivia took it to hang it around her neck as he began unbuttoning his shirt. "_Actual_ aliens. _Deadly_ aliens. Aliens of death and now you're…taking your clothes off. Amy, he's taking his clothes off."

The Doctor stripped off his shirt and retorted, "Turn your back if it embarrasses you."

He looked to Olivia as she stood in front of him and noticed her chewing on her lower lip as she lifted a brow at him, making him grin before he pulled off his pants and shoes. He took a jacket from her to try it on, placing a kiss to her cheek as he did and noting the blush over her cheeks as Rory yelled something about the clothes. Olivia looked behind the Doctor to see Rory turning his back, but Amy stood staring at the Doctor as he tried on some other clothes, making her glare at the ginger before stepping around the Doctor as he searched the clothes around him.

"Are you not gonna turn your back?" she heard Rory ask Amy as she approached.

"Nope," Amy chirped defiantly, then frowned as Olivia sailed in front of her.

"Oh, yes, you are, Amy Pond," Olivia retorted, gripping her shoulders and turning her back for her before stepping closer to her ear to whisper, "He's _mine_, remember?"

"Olivia! Help me with these jackets!" the Doctor called and she hurried back toward him to obey before he led the group to the roof.

He'd found a pair of black shoes, black trousers a red button down shirt that he was in the process of buttoning and had a few ties hanging around his neck, red suspenders hanging on his trousers. By the time they reached the roof, his shirt was buttoned and tucked into his trousers and Olivia was trailing behind him with an armload of jackets as he sauntered onto the roof.

"So this was a good idea, was it?" Amy called as he and Olivia stepped up to the eyeball spaceship hovering over the roof. "They were _leaving_!"

"Leaving is good," the Doctor replied. "Never _coming_ _back_ is better."

"Oh, you're _not_ wearing this one," Olivia sneered, taking one of the ties from around his neck and tossing it toward Amy and Rory for one of them to catch then looked through the jackets. "God, this one won't work either."

"Come _on_, then!" he called, loudly as Olivia tossed another jacket to Rory. "The Doctor will see you now!"

The huge eye came out of the spaceship and stopped right in front of the Doctor and Olivia. The Doctor didn't flinch, and Olivia took a step back to stare at it in alarm but didn't run, even when a scanner ran down the Doctor's body.

"You are not of this world," the deep voice of the Atraxi reported as the Doctor pulled the suspenders onto his shoulders.

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it," the Doctor replied before lifting two ties and asking Olivia, "I dunno…what do you think?"

She took one of the ties and tossed it back to Rory as her answer and the Atraxi questioned, "Is this world important?"

"Important?" the Doctor echoed, incredulously. "What does that mean? Important. Six _billion_ people live here, is that important? Here's a question: Is this world a _threat_ to the Atraxi?"

He pulled off another tie then began skimming through the clothes in Olivia's arms for a moment, but when there was only silence that followed he prompted, "Oh, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. _Is_ this world a threat?"

The eye projected a hologram of the Earth before random images from around the world flashed before them and the Atraxi answered, "No."

"Are the people of this world guilty of any crimes by the laws of the Atraxi?" the Doctor questioned, before taking something from the pile in Olivia's arms and the projection showed more random images.

"No," the Atraxi replied.

"Ok!" the Doctor nodded. "One more, just one. Is this world protected? You're not the first lot to have come here. Oh, there have been _so_ many! And what you've got to ask yourself is…what happened to them?"

Olivia's eyes widened as she stared at the projection when faces began to appear. Faces she'd never seen before…except one. Ten in all, and ending with a face she knew well. A face she'd fallen in love with.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor," he smirked as the hologram faded and he'd put his outfit together just in time, going with a bowtie and a tan jacket with elbow patches. "Basically…run."

The eye pulled back to settle in its spaceship and fly away as Amy and Rory watched it leave. Suddenly, both Olivia and the Doctor jerked when something in their pockets instantly became warm. The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the TARDIS key from it to watch it glow gold in his palm then looked to Olivia as she held her key as well, the clothes she'd been holding in a pile around her feet when she'd gone to reach for the key in her pants pocket. They met each other's gazes and grinned before he grasped her hand and dragged her off the roof of the hospital.

When they reached the TARDIS in Amy's backyard, Olivia's eyes widened at the change on the outside, but she new the inside had to be different as well. He'd said she was rebuilding. He pulled her toward it and like a little boy on Christmas day, fumbled with the key to open the door of his present. He pulled the door open and stared in wide-eyed awe at the inside, Olive patiently waiting her turn to look.

"Look at you," he breathed through a grin. "Oh, you sexy thing. _Look_ at you!"

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned, but he only grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her and she stumbled in staring around at the new surroundings, the Doctor letting her hand go to run up the stairs toward the console. "Oh…my God. She's completely different, isn't she?"

"Oh, but she's _gorgeous_!" the Doctor grinned, running around the console to pilot the TARDIS into the Time Vortex. "And now, for a quick trip around the moon, then we go pick up Amy!"

He paused on the controls to watch Olivia still staring wide eyes around the control room as she slowly headed up the stairs.

"Unless…" he trailed off for a moment and she looked to him in wonder as she stepped up to the console. "Unless I need to make a stop somewhere else? Drop you off? If that's…what you want."

"What _I_ want?" Olivia frowned, wondering if she'd heard right.

"Well…yeah," he shrugged before looking back at the controls to pilot the TARDIS. "I told you it wasn't _my _choice. I mean…I'm not _daft_, Liv. Now that everything's different I'm sure you don't even _like_ the new…TARDIS."

Olivia frowned at him in wonder before nodding in understanding when she realized he wasn't talking about the new TARDIS…but his new self.

"Oh…I dunno," she shrugged, looking down at the console to fiddle with a button without pushing it as the Doctor looked up at her, knowing she'd understood what he was _really_ talking about. "I mean…it's certainly not the old…TARDIS, _that's_ for sure. And I have to admit I was kind of fond of the old look."

The Doctor glanced around before stepping toward Olivia to stand next to her, but she didn't look up at him as he murmured, "You know…it's the same TARDIS. It's just changed a bit…ok, a _lot_. But it's just the look…not the heart."

"I know," she nodded before finally looking up at him and she smiled as she lifted a hand to play the bowtie around his neck as she murmured, "That's why I still love you."

His lips curled into a grin, making her giggle before he threw his arms around her and hugged her properly for the first time since his regeneration and she hugged him tightly in return, neither wanting to let the other go.

"I'm not going anywhere, Theta," she whispered into his ear. "I keep telling you that, but you don't seem to listen to me. It was just a shock, that's all."

"I know," he replied, pulling away enough to look into her eyes. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you and making you endure all of that. The old team! Back together again, eh?!"

"It'll be a _new_ team when Amy comes aboard," Olivia smiled.

"Oh, it _will_, won't it?" he grinned. "Still…I'm the Doctor and you're my girl.

"Yes, you _are_ the Doctor," she grinned back. "A Doctor by any other name would be just as wonderful."

"Ooh! Nice paraphrase. I like that. That's going in the Phrase Book…when I make a Phrase Book," he complimented and was about to move away to pilot the TARDIS, but Olivia wouldn't let him go, making him frown down at her in wonder.

"What did Prisoner Zero mean when he said you'd been a disappointment to _both_ your companions?" she questioned, making his frown fall.

"Just trying to get under my skin," he smiled and tried to pull away again, but she still held onto him. "Liv—"

"You're lying," she observed, making him stare wide eyes at her as she glared at him. "Just because you've regenerated, doesn't mean you can start lying to me _or_ that you can hide it from me when you are."

The Doctor sighed, realizing she was right and replied, "He meant that I'd let Amelia down by not coming back when I said I would."

"And…?" Olivia prompted when he said nothing else.

"_And_…that I'd let you down because you'd have rather had the _old_ me than this…new me," he replied, not meeting her gaze.

After a moment he finally looked up at her and she lifted a hand to slap the back of his head, making him wince and hold a hand to the place she'd hit.

"Ow! Liv—!"

"That's for believing him…idiot!" she snapped before sighing and shaking her head at him and he lowered his hand, resigned to her punishment.

After a moment of averting her gaze again, he frowned when he looked back at her and she smiled up at him with a smile he remembered well. She was the cat that ate the canary, or was _about_ to eat it…and he remembered _he_ usually ended up being the canary.

"Do you think we have time to make sure _everything_ works properly?" she asked, making his frown deepen, and he was sure she probably meant the TARDIS.

"Of course. Like I said, just a quick trip around the moon, then back to Earth and—" He cut himself off when he felt Olivia's hands smooth down his chest and abdomen and his eyes widened in realization as he replied, "Oh! Oh…you mean…"

She nodded slowly, knowing he realized what she meant and he turned to the console, hurriedly landing them on the moon where they'd been hovering to have their conversation. He ran around the console to make adjustments, Olivia leaning on the edge of it as she watched him until he stopped in front of her with a smile.

"Ready for inspection, Miss Felton," he smirked, making her grin widen before she took his hand to pull him toward her, sliding her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Not sure how this body will cope, Liv. Best take things slow."

"Oh, I _completely_ agree," she nodded as he leaned his face toward hers. "_Very_ slow."

She tilted her chin up to meet his lips, softly. Their first kiss since his regeneration. She knew it would be different, but she hadn't realized _how_ different. He was a bit more hesitant, and didn't devour her like he used to. A lot gentler than before, but she soon found out his passion hadn't _completely_ left him when his tongue slid between her lips and he pulled her closer. She realized that he knew she was still getting used to the new him, and that's why he was hesitating. Olivia pulled him closer, willing herself not to picture the man he was before. It would only make things difficult. She felt bad when she had to open her eyes just a bit to see him before they pulled away to breathe and they looked into each other's eyes.

"It's alright, Liv," he smiled, making her frown until she realized he probably felt her uncertainty through their kiss. "I know…it'll take some getting used to."

She nodded before smiling and pressing a quick kiss to his lips, whispering, "Why don't we start that inspection, then? To get me used to the new you."

* * *

**A/N:** because i couldn't resist a Tenth Doctor cameo...and there may be more to come, but i'm not sure on that yet. this one came up quick, but i'm not sure if i'll be able to keep that pace. i'll try, but i make no promises. reviews?


	5. A Nice Couple

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 5: A Nice Couple**_

"Can I make a suggestion?" Olivia asked the Doctor as they operated the TARDIS together and the Doctor looked up at her with a frown as she stepped next to him. "As soon as we see Amy, apologize for leaving. She's gonna be mad."

"Well of _course_, Liv," he replied. "I'm not _completely_ without manners…this time."

"And _you_ didn't wanna bring up the past," she smirked, making him smile as well.

"The past reminds us where we've been," he admitted. "But I remember it as if it were yesterday…all of it."

"I know," she nodded. "Jack said I was just as bad as you…if not _worse_. I remember pretty much everything."

"Oh, Jack Harkness," he sneered, wrinkling his nose and Olivia couldn't help but giggle. "What does _he_ know? He got one year with you and you _still_ talk about him."

"He's my friend," Olivia smiled as the Doctor moved to another part of the console to fiddle with something. "He's like my brother! And he's my former boss."

"Former?" he frowned in wonder at her from his place at the console and she nodded, flipping a switch when it lit up.

"Torchwood is no more," she replied, sorrow lacing her tone. "Well…I say 'no more' when really it's just Torchwood Three. It got blown up. Long story and one that I really don't wanna share right now, actually."

"Why are you wearing my old tie?" he frowned, instantly changing the subject for her and she couldn't help but frown back at him in amusement. "Huge wardrobe that can give you any outfit you want and you've gone with…Tenth Regeneration Chic?"

"I'm sentimental!" she shot back, adjusting the brown tie swirled with blue around her neck. "You _know_ that! Besides, this was my favorite tie on you."

The Doctor shifted to another part of the console to glance at her and get a better look at her outfit. She was wearing a dark purple button down shirt with the few top buttons unbuttoned, the tie loose around the collar, a pair of blue skinny jeans and one of the blue jackets he used to wear, her black Converse on her feet.

"Admit it, Theta," she smirked, making him meet her gaze and she smirked in amusement at his staring. "You think I look good, don't you?"

"You always look gorgeous, Liv," he smiled, stepping toward her and pulling her close by the hand to press a kiss to her temple before pulling away to race around to the other side of the console, ducking beneath it. "And, since you're so sentimental the old girl and I have a present for you."

"Really?" she grinned, racing toward him just as he stood with his hands behind his back. "What is it?! Will I like it?"

"Of course you will," he nodded before lowering his head to level his eyes with hers. "Close those gorgeous eyes and hold out your hands, Liv."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously before closing her eyes and holding out her hands. She gave a frown when she felt something long and cold settle across her hands, but waited for his command to open her eyes.

"Ok…open up," he murmured, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She opened her eyes and looked to her hands before her eyes widened in disbelief. Sitting in her hands was a silver and blue Sonic Screwdriver. She looked up at him, then back to her hands, speechless as he grinned at her. "You like it?"

"_Like_ it?" she breathed, looking up at him, gripping it in both hands and pulling it close, tears in her eyes. "I _love_ it, Theta! Thank you!"

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close as he hugged her tightly in return. When they released each other, she grinned down at the Silver Sonic, curiously fiddling with her new toy as the Doctor kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"It's the exact same one I used to use," he explained. "Well, actually, the exact same _model_. The TARDIS always keeps a spare ready for me in case something happens to my screwdrivers. I'll show you how to read results from scans later."

"Are we picking up Amy now?" Olivia hoped as he lowered his arm and went to the console.

"Yes, we are!" he cheered, pulling a lever down and running around the console, slipping and sliding on the glass floor. "Help me drive, won't you, darling?"

She quickly tucked the Silver Sonic into her jacket pocket and hurried to help him drive the TARDIS. It shuddered when they landed and he ran around the console to grab her hand and drag her to the door, shutting it behind them and stepping into Amy's backyard, but Olivia frowned when she noticed how dark it was.

"I hope we didn't show up twelve years ago," she muttered, making him turn to her with a frown.

"No," he blurted, then paused and thought for a moment before nodding in certainty, "No. We're in the right time."

Their attention was turned to Amy's door when she opened it and stepped out in her nightgown and robe. Olivia couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had come out in the same outfit to investigate their crash landing when she was seven.

"Sorry about running off earlier!" the Doctor called as Amy ran toward them. "Brand new TARDIS! Bit exciting. Just had quick to the moon and back again. She's ready for the big stuff now."

"It's you," Amy breathed as the Doctor patted the TARDIS affectionately. "You came back."

"'Course I came back," he replied. "I always come back. There's nothing wrong with that."

Olivia frowned in wonder at Amy's wide-eyed expression as she came closer to stand next to the TARDIS, observing, "You kept the clothes."

"What? I just saved the world," the Doctor retorted. "The whole world in about a minute's time. No charge. Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes."

"Including the _bowtie_," Amy noticed as the Doctor wrapped an arm around Olivia's shoulders then touched the bowtie.

"Yeah, it's cool," he explained. "Bowties are cool."

"Are you from another planet?" Amy frowned, half sarcastic and half serious.

"Yeah," he replied.

"He is, I'm not," Olivia finally spoke up. "I'm human last time I checked. Unless my DNA got tweaked again which it probably _did_, since we were just—"

"Olivia!" he interrupted, making her look at him in wide-eyed amusement and he lowered his voice to tell her, "Be_have_."

"Ok…" Amy frowned in wonder before the Doctor looked back at her.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"What?" she frowned deeper.

"Other planets. Wanna come check some out?"

"What does that _mean_?"

"It means…well…it means…"

"Come with us," Olivia offered when he trailed off and he patted her shoulder with a nod to Amy.

"Where?" Amy blurted with wide eyes.

"Wherever you like," the Doctor smiled.

"All the stuff that happened," Amy recalled. "The hospital. The spaceships. Prisoner Zero…"

"Oh, don't worry," Olivia smirked. "That's just the beginning. There's loads more."

"Yeah but those things…those _amazing_ things. All that stuff…" Amy trailed off to step an inch from the Doctor and snap, "That was _two years ago_."

"Ooh…oops," the Doctor blurted as Olivia lowered her face into her hand. "So that's…"

"Fourteen years," Amy nodded, irritably.

"Fourteen years since fish custard," the Doctor nodded. "Amy Pond…the girl who waited. You've waited long enough."

"When I was a kid you said there was a swimming pool…in the library," Amy recalled. "The swimming pool was _in_ the library."

"Yeah, not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up. So…coming?" he asked again.

"No…" she replied, unconvincingly.

"You wanted to come fourteen years ago," Olivia recalled.

"I grew up," Amy reminded them.

"Don't worry," the Doctor smirked. "I'll soon fix that."

He snapped his fingers with his free hand and the door to the TARDIS swung open, making Amy look to the gap in wonder before she stepped in. Olivia grinned up at the Doctor as he pressed a kiss to her head and lowered his arm to let her follow Amy in, and he followed behind the girls to shut the door. The Doctor sauntered passed her as Olivia stepped up next to Amy who stared around the TARDIS in wide-eyed disbelief before the Doctor returned to smile at her.

"Well?" he prompted. "Anything you wanna say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all."

The Doctor raced up the stairs as Olivia only smiled in amusement at the look on Amy's face before the ginger looked to her and muttered, "I'm in my nighty."

"Oh, don't worry," Olivia nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to direct her toward the stairs. "Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe…_and_ possibly a swimming pool."

"So…" the Doctor called, making the two stop at the bottom of the stairs. "All of time and space. Everything that ever happened or ever will…where do you wanna start?"

"You are so sure that I'm coming," Amy noted, marching up the stairs as Olivia headed up the stairs and toward the console.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied, inching toward her face to reply, "I am."

"Why?" she questioned before turning to the console to pull at something and jumped when the console made a noise.

"Because you're the Scottish girl in an English village, and I know how that feels," the Doctor replied as he stepped next to Olivia to fiddle with something on the console.

"Oh, do you?" she shot back around the console.

"Well all those years living here, most of your life," the Doctor replied, turning hot and cold knobs on the console before pointing to Amy. "And you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming!"

Olivia rang the bell next to him making him grin at her before he sailed around her to fiddle with another part of the console as Amy looked at him from around the pillar in front of her.

"Can you get me back by tomorrow morning?" Amy wondered, curiously.

"It's a time machine, I can get you from five minutes ago," the Doctor nodded.

"Why? What's tomorrow?" Olivia wondered as he stepped next to her again.

"Nothing," she replied, trying to seem casual and not doing a good job of it. "Nothing. Just…stuff."

Olivia frowned in wonder at her avoidance of the question but said nothing as Amy fiddled with something else on the console.

"Alright then," the Doctor replied, either missing her demeanor or ignoring it for now. "Back in time for _stuff_."

"Doctor, what's that?" Olivia frowned in wonder pointing at something coming up from the console and he looked to it with a frown before grinning, widely.

"Oh! A new one!" he grinned, pulling the thing from its place and aiming it ahead. Olivia smiled when she heard the familiar hum of the Sonic Screwdriver, but this time it glowed green as he murmured to the TARDIS, "Lovely. Thanks dear."

He tucked the new Sonic into his jacket pocket as Olivia pulled hers out and frowned at it before looking to him as he stepped next to her again and he frowned at her in wonder.

"Yours is bigger than mine," she noticed.

"Olivia Felton, you're getting worse than Jack Harkness!" he snapped, softly, making her giggle, knowing he got her joke. "You'd best behave or you won't get to pick where we go after Amy's pick."

"Why me?" Amy asked, drawing their attention to her again.

"Why not?" the Doctor retorted.

"No, seriously," Amy shot back. "You are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question."

"Don't flatter yourself, Red," Olivia muttered, making the Doctor nudge her arm gently with an elbow before answering Amy.

"I dunno. Fun. Do I have to have a reason?" he wondered.

"People always have a reason."

"Do I look like people?"

"Yes."

"Been knockin' around on my own for a while," the Doctor explained, lifting the phone from the console to put it to his ear before putting it back. "My choice. But I started talking to myself, all the time. It was giving me an earache."

"You weren't on your own," Amy recalled, looking to Olivia who looked up at her from the console. "You were there every time I saw him. You were right behind him. There to help."

"That was only a few hours in our time," Olivia explained. "A day, tops. That was the first time we'd seen each other in a while. A week or so since the last time. He's left me for as long as four years before coming back for me."

"No wonder you slapped him," Amy replied, recalling the conversation the three had had about her hitting the Doctor with a cricket bat. She looked to the Doctor and guessed, "You're lonely. That's it? Just that?"

"Just that," the Doctor replied as he approached her. "Promise."

"Ok," Amy chirped before turning to the railing behind the console, Olivia stepping after the Doctor as he shut off the computer above the console, neither one of them noticing the familiar linear shape on its screen before he did.

"So you're ok then?" he hoped, steeping up next to her and slinging his arm around Olivia's neck when she stepped up next to him to pull her closer. "Cause this place…sometimes it can make people feel a bit…you know…"

"I'm fine," Amy replied, looking up and around at the TARDIS. I'm fine, it's just…there's a whole world in here. Just like you said. It's all true. I started to believe that you were just like…a mad man with a box."

"Amy Pond, there's something you better understand about me because it's important and one day, your _life_ may depend on it," he replied, drawing her wide-eyed attention to him as Olivia frowned in wonder at him but said nothing. "I am _definitely_ a mad man with a box."

Olivia grinned and laughed as he swung her around with him toward the console and Amy turned to stand next to him as he gripped a lever and stared up at the pillar in front of them.

"Goodbye, Ledworth!" the Doctor grinned between the girls. "Hello, _everything_!"

* * *

_Later in the TARDIS..._

"America?!" the Doctor sneered at Olivia as the two moved around the console, operating it. "No, no, no, no, no. Amy's first trip has to be more exciting than that! Olivia Felton, shame on you!"

"We're not staying long," Olivia insisted, fighting for control of the TARDIS. "I have to tell mom and Aaron where I am. I thought you'd understand that!"

"They know where you are!" he argued, pulling a lever and turning a knob and making her shout in surprise when something on her end made a loud noise of protest before she glared at him. "You're with _me_!"

"Yes, darling," she smiled sarcastically, leaning over the console to ask, "And what happens when we go for a quick visit and you go barging in, as you always do, and my mom hits you with a baseball bat because she hasn't seen you since your regeneration? I'll _tell_ you what's gonna happen: You'll have a broken nose and _I'll_ have explaining to do!"

"Oh…" he grumbled, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Fine. But we stay no longer than an hour. We've got to get Amy out into the stars! Isn't that right, Amy?"

He whirled around to grin at Amy who sat in the seat next to the stairs, facing the console and watching the two the entire time in evaluation.

"Are you two married?" she asked, pouting her lips a bit in thought, making the Doctor frown as Olivia didn't even look up from the console. "You _act_ like you're married."

"No," the Doctor drawled with a grin. "Married? What?!"

"Well, don't sound _too_ surprised she asked, or too pleased we're _not_," Olivia called irritably, looking up at him from the console and he turned to stare at her with wide eyes, hurrying around the console to step next to her.

"I'm trying to sound…casual," he murmured as she looked back at the console.

"Well you sounded like it was an impossible idea," she muttered, not looking at him. "Just because we know who your wife is gonna be, doesn't mean _I_ like it."

"Oh, Liv, don't start that, please?"

"You obviously like the fact that you're gonna have an archeologist for a wife."

"I point and _laugh_ at archeologists, Liv!" he whispered harshly before glancing at Amy as she tried to look around the console at the two having their spat. He shifted to face Olivia's profile and murmured, "You know that if I had a choice I'd rather have _you_ for my wife."

"You _have_ a choice, Theta," she replied, still not looking at him. "And clearly, you've made it."

He opened his mouth to reply but she slammed the lever into place to land the TARDIS and stepped away to head toward the door, making him sigh and bow his head in guilt.

"I'll be right back," Olivia called, stopping at the door to turn and tell them, "You _both_ stay here. Amy's in her nighty and the Doctor's change in appearance will give my mom a heart attack."

"Oi! I don't look _that_ bad!" the Doctor shot back defensively from the top of the stairs.

"That's not what I said, dear," she called back, pulling the door open, but when she looked ahead to step out, her expression dropped. "Oh, hell."

"Well, that's a fine 'hello' for your mother," Joyce shot back with a grin, her green eyes sparkling as she threw her arms around her daughter to hug her close, Olivia's face being buried in Joyce's brown hair before she pushed her back to arm's length. "Ooh! I like your new look! Doctor Chic! I'll bet he's flattered. And where is that Time Lord?"

"Mom! No—!" Olivia tried to stop Joyce as she stepped past her and into the TARDIS but another hand grabbed her and hugged her from behind, around her neck as he stepped up into the TARDIS.

"Wow! Nice remodel!" Aaron grinned, his green eyes darting around the room from under a head of red hair not quite the same shade as Amy's patting Olivia's head before letting her go to follow Joyce as Amy and the Doctor stayed in their places. "Where's the Doctor? And who's the red-head?"

"Ok!" Olivia cheered, clapping her hands and making her mother and Aaron turn to her as she stepped toward them. "Nice of you to visit, but I just came back to let you know I'm fine and that I'll be traveling with the Doctor for a while. I'll come to visit when I can. Let's go, guys!"

"Hey, wait!" Aaron objected when she grabbed his arm and her mother's arm to drag them back toward the door. "We didn't get to say 'hi' to the Doctor!"

"Olivia! What's wrong with you?!" Joyce frowned, pulling away from Olivia's grip and turning to look around to glance between Amy and the Doctor who only stared at the scene, not saying a word. "Who are these people? Where's the Doctor?"

Olivia sighed, bowing her head in defeat before letting Aaron's arm go and turning to Joyce just as she turned back to her daughter for an explanation.

"Ok, mom," she sighed, marching away from Aaron who frowned at her in wonder. "That's Amy Pond. We picked her up in Ledworth."

She marched up the stairs and stepped next to the Doctor, facing the three as she slipped her hand into his and explained, "The Doctor is right here. _This_ is the Doctor."

Aaron and Joyce stared at the Doctor as he waved and grinned, "Hello. Nice to see you two. Sorry I didn't greet you. Olivia wanted me to stay here, but since you're here…"

He hurried down the stairs and pulled a stunned Joyce in for a hug before quickly pulling away and doing the same for Aaron before patting his arms as the young man stared at him in disbelief. The Doctor hurried toward Amy and introduced her.

"So, Amelia Pond, this is Aaron Marcus and Joyce Felton, Olivia's mum," he nodded. "Aaron, Joyce, meet Amy."

"_That's_ the Doctor?" Aaron frowned. "How is that the Doctor?! He looks nothing like him!"

"He regenerated, Aaron," Olivia replied, irritably. "It's the same guy. Trust me, I was there when it happened."

"I'm confused," Joyce blurted, frowning and shaking her head.

Olivia sighed before heading down the stairs again, suggesting, "Can we have this conversation outside?"

This time Aaron and Joyce didn't object to being pulled out the door of the TARDIS and before Olivia stepped out she looked to the Doctor and Amy, assuring them, "I'll only be a minute, then we'll go."

The Doctor only nodded and Olivia shut the door behind her. He sighed and looked to Amy, patting her shoulder as he said, "Sorry about that. Bit awkward."

"It wasn't _your_ fault, Doctor," she assured him, watching him head toward the console. "Who is that ginger bloke, though? He was getting a bit cozy, considering she said she was _your_ girlfriend."

"Oh, Aaron's harmless," the Doctor replied, waving it off. "He's like her brother…her _gay_ brother."

Amy nodded in understanding before strolling toward the console to fiddle with something as the Doctor paid attention to the console as well before frowning when something Amy had said finally hit him and he looked up at her.

"Did you say she said she was my _girlfriend_?" he wondered, drawing Amy's attention to him and she frowned in wonder at him as well.

"Yeah," Amy replied. "You didn't know she was sayin' that?"

"Well…we _talked_ about it after I regenerated," he admitted. "I just didn't realize she was telling other _people_."

"Commitment issues, Doctor?" Amy smirked, leaning on the console and the Doctor frowned at her again, but she only raised her brows expectantly.

"No!" he chirped, still frowning, holding his hands up above the console and nervously rubbing his fingers together. "Of course not! I can be committed! I _am_ committed!"

"Then why don't you marry her?" she wondered, making him lower her hands back onto the console along with his gaze.

"It's…complicated," he replied, vaguely.

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Then marry her!"

"Why are we talking about marriage?!" the Doctor questioned her, leaning on the edge of the console and looking up at her. "Why do you have marriage stuck in your head?"

Amy straightened, rolling her shoulders before she chirped, "Fine. I just thought you made a nice couple, that's all."

"Yes, well, we do," the Doctor nodded before looking back at the console. "But she knows we can never be married. I'm lucky she's even staying here with me after everything I've put her through and I _don't_ take that for granted, believe me."

"Good," Amy nodded, leaning back on the console and crossing her arms in front of her. "As long as you know you're lucky."

They were silent for a moment before the Doctor asked, "You really think we make a nice couple?"

* * *

_Meanwhile, Outside the TARDIS..._

"Ok, let's go over everything he's done to you, and you tell me if he's still worth staying with," Aaron snapped at Olivia as they stood on the front lawn of the Felton home with Joyce. He lifted a hand and counted on his fingers, continuing, "He made you miss your prom, _ruined_ your graduation, left you back on Earth for four years, has nearly gotten you _killed_ on several occasions, told you about his future wife—!"

"A lot of that isn't his fault—!" Olivia tried.

"Not done," he interrupted her in turn, still counting on his fingers. "He dumped you _again_ in Cardiff without a proper goodbye, broke your heart time after time and now _this_?! Olivia, you _can't_ put up with this!"

"Aaron, this is _the Doctor_," Olivia replied. "I knew what I was getting into from the start! He's done so much for me to make up for everything he's done wrong, and _you_ haven't been with us to see all the _good_ he's done!"

"Mrs. F! Talk some _sense_ into her!" Aaron pleaded. "Maybe she'll listen to _you_."

"Look, I just came to tell you guys that I'm with the Doctor now, and that I'll come visit soon," Olivia explained. "I _would_ like to have my scrapbook, though to keep on the TARDIS, please?"

"Aaron, go get her scrapbook," Joyce gently ordered him, making him shoot a wide-eyed stare of disbelief at her.

"You're letting her _go_?!" he questioned in astonishment.

"_My_ daughter!" Joyce snapped at him, making him shrink back before she ordered again, "Go get her scrapbook!"

Aaron turned a glare to Olivia as he set his jaw in anger before marching back into the house and Joyce turned to Olivia, taking a breath.

"Mom—"

Joyce held up a hand to stop her and she closed her mouth as her mother began, "I know I've been the one to argue with you every time you left with the Doctor, and I _still_ worry about you. Aaron has supported you this far because he knows you love the Doctor, and _I_ know you love him too and will do anything for him and that scares us more than anything. But I have to admit, _this_ is a bit too much for the both of us to handle. _That_ is not the Doctor _we_ know."

"I know," Olivia nodded, setting her hands on her mother's shoulders. "It was hard for me at first too, and I was _there_ when he regenerated, but it _is_ him. It's the Doctor. He's just…different from when we first met him. _Very_ different. I know you worry about me, mom, but if he's looking after me, I'll be fine."

Joyce looked into her daughter's eyes before nodding reluctantly as Aaron marched back toward them and handed Olivia's scrapbook to her in an angry gesture.

"Here," he snapped as Olivia took the book. "I hope you're happy with all the disappointment he'll bring you."

"Aaron, I know you're worried about me," Olivia told him as he glared at her. "But the Doctor promised he'd never come back without me, remember?"

"The _other_ Doctor promised me that," Aaron shot back. "Not _this_ guy. I don't _know_ this guy you're taking off with. So have your fun, and try not to get hurt. I'll see you when you get back."

"Aaron!" Olivia called, but he turned to march back toward the house and she felt pain stab at her heart as she looked to her mother who sighed in exasperation at the young man. "He's not gonna come back out here, is he?"

Joyce could only shake her head and Olivia gave a shaky sigh, making Joyce step toward her and wrap her arms around her daughter.

"I don't wanna leave it like this with him, mom," she shuddered, tears coming to her eyes.

"I know, sweetheart," Joyce whispered before holding her daughter at arm's length. "He'll come around. You go with the Doctor and have wonderful adventures like you used to and we'll both be here, waiting for you, ok?"

"Aaron's not gonna wait for me, mom," Olivia sniffled, lifting a hand to wipe the tears from her face. "You know how he is when he gets angry."

"He won't stay mad at _you_ for long," Joyce assured her. "He'll text you or call you soon. It's just a shock…for the both of us."

"I know," Olivia nodded, glancing to the house. "I gotta go. Just tell him I love him and I'm sorry, ok?"

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry about," Joyce replied, firmly. "None of this was your fault. But I'll give him your love. Now get in there before the Doctor thinks I'm keeping you here."

Olivia nodded and turned to grip the handle on the TARDIS door to step in, saying, "Thanks, mom."

She stepped into the TARDIS and wiped her face again, sniffling and trying not to let the Doctor see that she'd been crying. It didn't work.

"Liv, are you alright?" he called from the console, making her look up to see both him and Amy staring at her in concern.

"I'm fine," she replied, hurrying up the stairs, still holding her scrapbook. "Relatively speaking. Aaron's having a hard time with all this, but he'll come around. Where're we going?"

"Not sure yet," the Doctor replied, deftly as he stepped around the console to stand next to her to murmur, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Theta," she replied, turning to him with a weak smile. "I'll be great as soon as Aaron calls or texts."

The Doctor nodded before glancing at Amy and smiled, "I know what'll cheer you up, darling."

"What?" she frowned in wonder.

"Amy thinks we make a nice couple," he smiled, making her smile in return. "There's that smile!"

He placed a kiss to her cheek before running around the console to lift off and head into the Time Vortex.

"Now!" he grinned, looking between the women to ask, "Where to first?"

* * *

**A/N:** i wanted to give Olivia her own official look so here it is! Tenth Regeneration Chic, and she gets Ten's Sonic too, cuz i wanted her to. i always thought that was a better Sonic...its my favorite. reviews?


	6. An Impossible Starship

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 6: An Impossible Starship**_

Olivia and the Doctor grinned as they each held a foot on Amy to let her float outside the TARDIS door, allowing her to float in space within the air shell around it.

"My turn after this," Olivia smiled, and the Doctor nodded to her, still grinning. "I'm surprised you never did this with me before."

"We were always a bit busy, remember?" he replied before tugging on Amy's foot, calling, "Come on, Pond!"

He and Olivia both tugged Amy back into the TARDIS and when she landed on her feet she stared out the door with a huge grin and wide eyes, gripping a hand each on Olivia and the Doctor.

"_Now_ do you believe me?" he laughed as she let go of them both.

"Ok," she nodded. "Your box is a spaceship! It's really, _really_ a spaceship. We are in _space_! Woo!" She took a long sniff and frowned in wonder, "What or we breathing?"

"I've extended the air shell," the Doctor explained. "We're fine."

"Doctor, what's that down there?" Olivia wondered as she leaned over the edge of the TARDIS just a bit, looking down and making the Doctor look down as well, both he and Amy crouching in the doorway.

"Now _that's_ interesting," he grinned before standing and heading back to the console, Olivia right behind him, both driving the TARDIS. "Twenty-ninth century: Solar flares roast the Earth and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations migrating to the stars. Isn't that amazing?"

"Amy's calling you," Olivia told him, not looking away from the console, having heard her but knowing he hadn't.

"Doctor!" Amy called again, making both Olivia and the Doctor hurry toward the door at her tone and he opened the door of the TARDIS to reveal a terrified Amy Pond gripping onto the top of the blue box for dear life.

"Come on," the Doctor grinned. "I found us a spaceship!"

Olivia held her hand out to Amy who instantly grabbed hold of it and Olivia puled Amy back into the TARDIS as the Doctor hurried back toward the console. Olivia shut the door behind her as Amy still held her hand in a death grip and she turned to her, patting her hand.

"You're good, Amy," she assured her, meeting her wide-eyed gaze. "You can let go now."

"Uh…sorry," Amy replied, letting go of Olivia's hand before they both hurried up the stairs where the Doctor stood waiting for them. Amy leaned on the railing a step below the Doctor as Olivia came up on the other side of him to stare at the porthole-shaped screen on the wall of the TARDIS. "What's that? Looks like a city. I thought you said it was a spaceship."

"This is the United Kingdom of Britain," the Doctor explained. "Not an island. All of it bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain. That's not just a ship that's an idea. That's a whole _country_. Living and laughing and…shopping. And searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go see it?" Olivia smiled, taking the Doctor's hand in both of hers.

"Of course we can," he nodded, lifting one of her hands to kiss the back of it. "But first there's a thing."

"A thing?" Amy frowned in wonder as he turned to head toward the console, dragging an equally confused Olivia with him as Amy followed.

"An important thing, in fact. Thing one…" he replied, stopping in front of the screen over the console and lifting a magnifying glass to his face to look at her through it. "We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets."

Olivia let out a burst of laughter before slapping her hand over her mouth but it was too late. The Doctor glared at her as she stared wide-eyed at him, her hand hiding the smile underneath it before lowering her hand and giggling, "I'm sorry dear. It's just so funny."

"What is?" Amy frowned in wonder.

"Nothing," the Doctor replied, still glaring at Olivia as she pulled her lips between her teeth, casting her gaze down as he looked to the screen. "Ooh…that's interesting."

"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy guessed, leaning next to the Doctor on the console and looking to the screen as well as Olivia frowned at him when she heard his statement before looking to the screen as well. "Cause if they see like a wounded little cub or somethin' they can't just save it they've gotta…keep filming and let it die."

The screen they were watching showed a little girl looking very upset as she sat on a stairway filled with people.

"That's gotta be hard," Amy realized watching the little girl. "Don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard bein' all detached and cold?"

The girls both jumped when they saw the Doctor on the screen crouch down in front the little girl and they frowned as they watched him try to talk to her but she turned and ran away.

"Doctor?" Amy called in confusion, neither girl looking away from the screen.

The Doctor stood and waved them toward him through the screen as if he could see them and Olivia sighed, making Amy look to her with a frown.

"I hate it when he does that," she muttered before shoving off the console and hurrying toward the door, Amy right behind her. "Just takes off without so much as a 'Come along, girls' or anything. Word of advice, Amy: Find a man that'll follow _you_, not the other way around."

"Uh…yeah," Amy muttered before Olivia shoved the door open. Amy followed her in wide-eyed awe as Olivia shut the door behind her who stepped toward the Doctor and breathed, "I'm in the future. Hundreds of years in the future!"

Olivia couldn't help but stare around the spaceship as well with a grin. Her first spaceship. She hurried toward the Doctor and threw her arms around him, making him chuckle, knowingly and hug her in return before she let him go to press a kiss to his cheek. Amy stopped in front of the couple with wide eyes.

"I've been _dead_ for centuries," she blurted making Olivia roll her eyes before looking around at the bustling people.

"Oh, lovely," the Doctor retorted, stepping closer to her as he pulled Olivia with him by the hand. "You're a cheery one." He wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders and pulled her away from the TARDIS, continuing, "Never mind dead. Look at this place. Isn't it _wrong_?"

"What's wrong?" Olivia frowned before he yanked her closer to throw his arm around her waist.

"Come on," he urged, hugging her waist. "Use your eyes. Notice _everything_. What's wrong with this picture?"

"Is it…the bicycles?" Amy chirped, pointing at one as he lowered his arm from her shoulders. "Bit unusual on a spaceship…bicycles."

"Says the girl in her nighty," Olivia blurted, making the Doctor smirk as Amy looked down at herself.

"Oh, my _God_! I'm in my nighty!" she realized again with a terrified expression, making the Doctor give a small chuckle as Olivia giggled.

"Now, come on," he urged. "Look around you. _Actually_ look."

The three stopped to look up at the glass roof of the spaceship, staring at the stars above and Olivia couldn't help but lean her head on the Doctor's shoulder with a contented smile, making him look to her as best he could.

"It's amazing," she murmured. "I used to look up at the stars when I was little…but seeing them with you is like seeing them for the first time. _Really_ seeing them. There's more to them than just balls of fire in space. There's life out there."

"Did you think you'd be here when I landed in your room that night four years ago?" he murmured into her ear and she lifted her head to look at him with a smile.

"No," she grinned. "But I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world."

He grinned back at her before planting a kiss to her forehead then looking around in thought and pulling them along again as he said, "Life on a giant starship. Back to basics. Bicycles. Washing lines. Wind up street lamps. But, look _closer_. Secrets and shadows. Lives led in fear. Society bent and on the _brink_ of collapse. A _policed_ state. Excuse me."

He suddenly let go of Olivia and hurried toward a table before the three passed it and the girls looked at him with frowns each as he took a glass from its surface and set it down on the floor to stare at it. The people at the table stared at him as well before he looked up at them with wide eyes and Olivia hurried toward him to lift the glass of water and set it back on the table.

"Sorry, folks," she smiled politely, pulling the Doctor to his feet by the arm. "Heath and safety. Checking all the water in this area. There's…an escaped fish."

She continued smiling, pulling the Doctor back toward Amy who asked, "Why did you just do that with the water?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now…policed state. Do you see it?"

"See what?" Olivia frowned, looking around again, as did Amy.

"Where?" the ginger questioned.

"There," the Doctor replied, pointing ahead to a group of benches where a little girl sat, crying. The same little girl that had been on the TARDIS screen.

The Doctor headed toward the benches, Olivia and Amy right behind him as he sat down on the nearest bench and they followed suit. Olivia looped her arm around one of the Doctor's arms as he sat forward to lean his elbows on his knees, his hands entwined in front of him as he watched the little girl.

"One little girl crying," Amy noticed then questioned, "So?"

"Crying _silently_," he explained, sitting back and pulling his arm from Olivia's hold to wrap it around her shoulders. "I mean children cry because they want attention or they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

"Are _you_ a parent?" Amy wondered as Olivia said nothing and couldn't help but wonder what the Doctor would say as he looked to Amy and Olivia looked to the Doctor.

"Hundreds of parents walking past this spot yet no one's asking her what's wrong," he observed, looking back to the little girl and avoiding the question, Olivia noticed. "Which means…they already know and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows. Whatever they're afraid it's nowhere to be seen. Which _means_…it's everywhere. Policed state."

"Doctor, she's gone" Olivia reported when she looked back at the bench.

"Where'd she go?" Amy wondered, sitting up to look around as the Doctor remained calm.

He rattled off an address before saying, "You're looking for Mandy Tanner."

"How can you _possibly_ know that?" Olivia wondered, both girls frowning at him.

"Oh!" he replied, reaching into his inside jacket pocket to pull out a colorful wallet. "This fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her."

"Accidentally?" Olivia echoed, skeptically, narrowing her gaze at him as she took the wallet.

"Well, it took me four goes," he admitted. "Ask her about those things. Those smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere."

"But they're just things," Amy told him, making the Doctor frown at her.

"They're _clean_," the Doctor explained. "Everything else is battered and filthy. Look at this place. But no one has laid a _finger_ on those booths. Not a _footprint_ within two feet of any of them. Look, ask Mandy, 'Why are people so scared of the things in the booths?'"

"Hang on!" Amy chirped. "What do I do?! I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even _dressed_."

"It's this or Ledworth," the Doctor offered. "Let's see. What do you think, Olivia? What will Amy Pond choose?"

Olivia looked to Amy with a knowing smirk. She knew, because she'd been there. It didn't matter if you were clueless or weren't dressed, you always chose whatever the Doctor had to offer.

Amy glared at him before sitting back in her seat and glaring ahead, making the Doctor laugh before grinning, "Gotcha."

He looked at the golden watch on his wrist then looked to Olivia, setting his hand on her knee to pat it as she frowned at him when he instructed, "Meet me back here in half an hour."

"What are you gonna do?" Amy asked in a mock wondering tone.

"What I always do," the Doctor mimicked her tone. "Stay out of trouble." He kissed Olivia on the cheek before standing and adding, "Badly."

Olivia opened her mouth to say something but he was jumping over the bench to head in the opposite direction and she handed Amy the wallet before standing to hurry after him.

"So is that how it works, Doctor?" Amy called, standing to lean on the back of the bench as the Doctor whirled around to look at her and Olivia stopped to turn to her as well. "You never interfere with the affairs of other peoples or planets…unless there's children crying?"

"Yes," he smiled, making her smile in return before Amy turned to head after the girl and he frowned at Olivia as she turned back to head toward him. "What are you doing? Go with Amy. You have to watch her."

"In case you haven't noticed, Amelia Pond is not seven anymore," Olivia shot back. "She can take care of herself. And _you_ know that, otherwise you wouldn't have brought her along. Now, are you gonna give _me_ something else to do or am I following you?"

The Doctor stared down at her as she raised an expectant brow then sighed, "Fine. Come along, Liv. I may need an extra pair of hands anyway. Just stay close."

Olivia nodded and when he turned she skipped up next to him to loop an arm around one of his, making him look down at her for a moment as she smiled up at him.

"I'll stay _this_ close," she smiled, making him grin down at her before looking ahead again and she followed his lead. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Yeah," he hummed through a smile. "Just like it. Ooh…actually…Liv? Could you do me a favor?"

"What?" she frowned in wonder as he stopped and looked around before looking back at her.

"Go have a look at one of those booths," he instructed. "Maybe we can find out what's goin' on through them. Use your Sonic."

"How do I read the results?" she asked, pulling the Silver Sonic from her jacket.

"Scan something," he instructed and she glanced around before scanning a tall glass of water on a nearby table then held it sideways between them so they could both see it. "Now, a little hologram inside should…There it is! See? Easy enough to read."

"Well _I_ could've figured that out by wingin' it," she muttered in disappointment at herself.

"It's alright," he smiled, kissing her head before reminding her, "Half an hour. Don't make me have to look for you."

"Oh, yes, because it'll just take so much time out of your busy schedule," she retorted as he walked away and he turned to stick his tongue out her, making her giggle before she looked around from her spot for a booth. "Ok…time to investigate."

Olivia glanced around before she finally found a booth with a creepy smiling statue inside and she headed toward it. She stepped right up to the glass and stared at it for a moment before giving a sneer and taking a step back. It reminded her a bit of one of her professors back in college. She lifted the Sonic and the hum sounded as she scanned the thing then looked at the result.

"What the hell?" she murmured, her eyes widening at the results before turning them to the booth. "It's _alive_? How is it alive?! It's made of porcelain! I can _see_ the cracks in the—!"

She cut herself off with a gasp as she jumped back when the head on the statue moved and spun completely around with an angry, frowning expression instead of the smile. She stepped back slowly but gave another gasp when she bumped into someone behind her, spinning around to either apologize or defend herself.

"Where is he?" the cloaked figure asked, and Olivia was mesmerized by the porcelain mask over the woman's face. "That man you were with…do you know where he went?"

"N-No," Olivia replied, honestly. "I'm sorry…who are you?"

"Someone who can help," the woman replied, vaguely before lifting something in her hand to look at it, making Olivia frown at the small handheld computer. "He's gone to the engine room. Of course! Follow me."

The woman turned and followed the signal on the computer, Olivia hurrying after her as she tucked her sonic screwdriver away.

"Why are you looking for him?" Olivia questioned. "Do you know who he is?"

"He is the Doctor, and _you_ are one of his companions, aren't you?" the woman replied, making Olivia stare at her with wide eyes as they continued through the ship.

"Y-Yes," she sputtered and her heart skipped when she had a thought before she swallowed and asked, "Your name wouldn't happen to be…River Song, would it?"

"No," the woman replied, making Olivia breathe a silent sigh of relief until they came to a flight of stairs that they both hurried down. "You're other friend has been taken into custody, but she's safe."

"Amy?" Olivia frowned before asking, "Where was she taken?"

"She's safe," the woman assured her. "I must speak to the Doctor and then you can use this to find her."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they made a turn and Olivia looked around the cloaked woman to see the Doctor looking at a glass of water in the middle of the hallway.

"Go to him, but keep your voice down," the woman ordered her. "I will follow."

Olivia nodded before hurrying toward the Doctor who looked up from the water and stood with a frown.

"Liv, what are you doing here?" he wondered. "How did you find me?"

"I had help," she admitted in a whisper before looking back at the cloaked woman as she approached and Olivia took the Doctor's hand in hers. "_She_ found you."

"You ask for truth in a glass of water," the mystery woman whispered, stopping a few steps away from him. "Not many people see it. But _you_ do, don't you Doctor?"

"You know me?" he asked.

"Keep your voice down!" she snapped, still whispering. "They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass."

"Who says I see anything?" the Doctor shot back in a lower tone as he stepped closer to her, pulling Olivia with him as she still held his hand.

"Don't waist time," the woman ordered. "At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight _here_…to the engine room. Why?"

"No engine vibration on deck," the Doctor began. "Ship this size, this big, you'd feel it."

"The water would move," Olivia realized, looking back to the glass of water behind them then back at the Doctor as he nodded.

"So, I thought I'd take a look," he continued before letting go of Olivia's hand to step down the hall to two boxes on the wall to the right, opening one of them. "It doesn't make sense! These power couplings…they're not connected! Look! They're dummies, see?!"

He pulled the couplings out enough for the two to see that they, in fact, weren't hooked up before running to the other wall.

"And behind this wall…nothing. It's hollow," he continued, knocking on the wall for the sound before turning to them. "If I didn't know better I'd say there was—"

"No engine at all," the woman cut in, making Olivia look to her with wide eyes before looking back at the Doctor as he came toward them.

"But it's working," he explained. "This ship is traveling through space. I saw it."

"The impossible truth, Doctor," the woman agreed. "We're traveling among the stars in a spaceship that can never fly."

"How?" Olivia breathed with a wide-eyed frown.

"I don't know," the woman admitted. "There's a darkness in the heart of the spaceship. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor. You're our only hope."

She handed the handheld computer to Olivia who took it as she said, "Your friend is safe. This will take you to her. Now go, quickly."

The couple watched her as she turned to head back the way she came and the Doctor called, "Who are you? How do I find you again?"

The woman stopped and turned at the end of the hall to reply, "I am Liz Ten, and _I_ will find _you_."

A power fluctuation made the couple look up and around before looking back to her but she was gone, making Olivia place a hand on her hip as the Doctor took the computer from her to examine it.

"Who does she think she is? Princess Leia? Because you are _certainly_ not Obi-Won Kenobi," Olivia snapped, turning to him as he kept his eyes on the screen. "If she knows something is fishy why doesn't she help us instead of leaving?"

"She said they were everywhere," the Doctor replied. "It means she's being watched. She'll send us to investigate so that she can be the decoy and keep _them_ from watching _us_."

Olivia said nothing for a moment as the Doctor still looked at the screen, memorizing the route, she guessed, before she murmured, "I thought she was River."

That made him look to her but she averted her gaze to the floor.

"And what if she _had_ been, Liv?" he wondered, making her look back up at him with wide eyes. "What would you've done?"

"How should _I_ know?" she retorted. "I can't tell the future anymore. The last dream I had was about the Master and I haven't had a vision since then."

"Good," he nodded.

"_Good_?!" she snapped back.

"Yes, good," he retorted. "Because once you see the future and know what'll happen you'll try to stop it or twist it so that it does or doesn't happen the way you want it to and that may just make it happen the way you were trying to avoid it from happening. You can't stop what's coming, or change how it will happen once you've seen it."

"I don't try to do that!"

"I don't _mean you_, I mean the human race," he replied, gripping her hand and heading down the hall again. "And don't worry about who might be River and when we'll see her. Time travel is something you can never predict. We may meet her ages from now or tomorrow."

"That's what scares me," she murmured and he stopped to look at her in wonder.

"_Scares_ you?" he echoed.

"What if she knows who I am?" Olivia wondered. "What if she _doesn't_ know who I am? If she _knows_ who I am, then she'll see me as the other woman…if she _doesn't_ know who I am she'll see me as _the other woman_. There's no getting around the fact that she'll probably _hate_ me. I'm not afraid of seeing you with her…I'm afraid of seeing you upset because we're not getting along or that you'll have to make a choice and give one of us up…and if you give anyone up…it's gonna be _me_."

"What? No. _Never_, Liv," he replied, pulling his hand from hers to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her close. "I could never give you up. I love you."

"You'll love _her_, too," she said. "And if it comes down to a choice…I'll have to step back. She's the one that's gonna be your wife, Theta. Not me."

"Liv, stop talking like this," he pleaded, leaning his forehead onto hers, closing his eyes. "It breaks my hearts to hear you say I'd make you leave. I can't leave you again like I've done before. I _need_ you with me."

Olivia took in a shaky breath as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he moved his head to rest his chin on her shoulder, both hugging each other close as she closed her eyes tightly to squeeze back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, without success.

"Promise me you won't start talking like this again, please?" he whispered, holding tightly onto her.

"I promise," she replied just above a whisper as well before he pulled away to look her in the eyes, his hearts clenching in guilt when he saw tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, my love."

"Oh, Liv, don't cry," he pleaded, lifting a hand to brush away a tear that had escaped down her cheek. "You know I hate it when you cry. Now…tell me you love me and we'll go get Amy."

Olivia couldn't help but smile before she pressed a quick kiss to his lips and murmured, "I love you, Theta."

"Yeah, you do," he grinned, making her giggle before he gripped her hand and led her through the ship, following the signal on the handheld computer to find Amy.

* * *

**A/N:** and, explaining why Olivia doesn't see ANY of this coming anymore. also, i couldn't help the Star Wars reference, cuz seriously, that was totally begging to be reffered to and Liv would totally point it out. reviews?


	7. A Mouth

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 7: A Mouth**_

The Doctor pulled Olivia by the hand down the hall and toward the little girl, Mandy, sitting on a bench in front of a door that slid open. He waved at Mandy before stepping into the door, Olivia by his side to see Amy standing in front of a series of screens, a chair behind. They heard her voice from one of the screens saying something they didn't catch before she pressed a button to shut it off.

"Amy?" Olivia called, catching her attention and Olivia stepped closer to look her over, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"What have you done?" the Doctor questioned, stepping into the room as they looked back at the screens for a moment then he looked back at Amy.

"I…I don't remember," Amy replied, frowning at Olivia who looked to the Doctor and in turn, he looked around the room, catching the lamp above the chair in the room. "Why can't I remember?"

"What are you doing?" Olivia questioned the Doctor as he climbed onto the chair then pulled the Sonic from his pocket to use it on the lamp.

He pulled back the Sonic, snapping it outward to look at the result then replied, "Yeah, you're basic memory wipe job. Must've erased about twenty minutes."

"Why would I choose to forget?" Amy wondered as he jumped from the chair and looked over the panel and screens.

"Because everyone does," Mandy called, drawing all their attentions to her as she stood just outside the door. "Everyone chooses the forget button."

The Doctor stepped toward her to lean down at her eye level with a small smile as he asked, "Did you?"

"I'm not eligible to vote yet," Mandy replied. "I'm twelve. Any time over sixteen you're allowed to see the film and make your choice…and then once every five years."

"And once every five years everyone chooses to _forget_ what they've learned," Olivia guessed before shaking her head as the Doctor turned to head back toward the computers. "Democracy in action. Oh, Doctor…that thing you had me investigate a little earlier—"

"You can give me your findings later," he interrupted her. "Right now I need to figure out how to see this film."

"How do you not know about this?" Mandy wondered. "Are you Scottish, too? Or American like your other friend?"

"Oh…I'm _way_ worse than Scottish or American," the Doctor smirked at her. "I can't even see the movie. It won't play for me."

"It played for _me_," Amy reported.

"Well the difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human," the Doctor replied, glancing back at Amy before looking back at the computers.

"Why not?" Amy wondered, making Olivia frown and the Doctor looked back at her as well as she approached, saying, "You _look_ human."

"No," the Doctor retorted. "You look _Time Lord_. _We_ came first. _Human_! That's it! Olivia! Sit here!"

He gripped her hand and dragged her toward the chair to sit her down as she stared at him in confusion.

"Doctor, I don't think this is gonna work," she tried as he pulled Amy out of the way of the screens and he watched them to try to see the film.

"Of course it will, Liv," he grinned. "Any second now it'll play. It plays for humans."

"Doctor—"

"Any second…" he cut in again, making her sigh and she decided to wait and let what _didn't_ happen explain it to him. He frowned at the screens as they remained blank and stepped toward them again, muttering, "Why isn't it working?"

"That's what I was trying to explain," Olivia replied, standing from the chair and stepping to his left but he didn't look at her. "Remember when I didn't change when the Master made everybody with human DNA into him?" He only nodded, still not looking at her. "And do you remember _why_ I didn't change?"

The Doctor frowned in thought before looking to her with wide eyes and breathing, "Oh…"

"And, I don't need to tell _you_ what we did after you regenerated, do I?" Olivia hinted.

He cleared his throat and glanced at Amy who frowned at the couple before he muttered, "No…you don't."

"So she's _not_ human?" Amy asked of Olivia making them both look up at her. "Is she a Time Lord?"

"No," the Doctor replied, looking back to the screens. "She's human, she just has…tweaked DNA, is all."

"But there are _other_ Time Lords, yeah?" Amy smiled, making Olivia look to the Doctor as he stopped and looked to Amy.

"No," he replied and Olivia took his hand as she stood on the other side of him, and he continued, "There _were_, but there aren't…just _me_ now. Long story. It was a bad day. Bad stuff happened. And do you know what? I'd love to forget it all. Every last bit of it. But I don't…not ever."

He still held Olivia's hand as he stepped back from the panel with the huge buttons that said 'Forget' and 'Protest' to hold a fist over the Protest button, continuing with a smirk, "Because this is what I do…every day…every second. This… Hold Tight. We're bringing down the government."

He slammed his fist onto the button, making it glow read and the door Mandy was standing outside of slammed shut. A sound from the wall opposite the door sounded and the man in the booth turned its head all the way around to reveal a devilishly angry expression. The Doctor pulled Olivia toward Amy as the floor shifted and opened when they huddled into a corner to reveal a red glow below them.

"Say wee!" the Doctor shouted with a grin to Amy and she only shouted, as did Olivia, before they were pulled down into the gap in the floor.

They all shouted as they fell down a long tube before landing one by one into something wet and slimy in a dark room. The Doctor landed first and instantly scrambled to his feet to use the Sonic and scan the area. Olivia came down next and landed on her back, making a disgusted face as she tried to get up, but when Amy came through, she landed right on top of her, making her grunt in pain then blanche in disgust again.

"Ah, high speed air canon," the Doctor explained, still scanning. "_Lousy_ way to travel."

"Sorry, Olivia," Amy blanched in disgust at her surroundings as she moved to get off the other woman.

"Glad I could break your fall," Olivia strained from the pain in her stomach and back and from trying to sit up.

"I said sorry, alright?" Amy retorted as both girls stood.

"It was a joke," Olivia assured her as she stood and they both looked around the dimly lit room. "Doctor, where are we?"

"Uh…six hundred feet down, twenty miles naturally puts us at the heart of the ship, I'd say…" he trailed off as he took in a deep breath through his nose than continued, "…Lancashire. So _what's_ this then?!"

"A cave?" Olivia guessed, whipping her hands out to throw off whatever she was covered in off of them.

"_Can't_ be a cave!" the Doctor argued.

"_Looks_ like a cave," she retorted as Amy struggled to keep her footing.

"It's a rubbish dump," Amy reported, flinging something at the Doctor and hitting him in the back, making him turn around, but he ignored her for a moment to kneel and examine what was at their feet, Amy next to him but Olivia remained standing. He looked up at her as she glared back at him and she shook her head at his silent question before answering it.

"You guys can roll around in whatever this is…_I_ want it _off_ me," she snapped before the two began rummaging around the refuse and she shuddered in disgust.

"Sorry, Liv," the Doctor replied, flinging things all around before bringing something to his face to smell it and making Olivia sneer in disgust at him. "Only _food_ refuse. Organic. Coming from feeding tubes all over the ship."

"It's all squishy, like a water bed," Amy noticed, running her hands over whatever was under the food.

"This is the most _disgusting_ place I've ever been in with you, Doctor," Olivia reported, examining their surroundings from where she stood, then suddenly recalling something the Doctor had said and she looked back at him with wide eyes. "Wait…did you just say _feeding_ tubes?"

"Yes, but feeding _what_ though?" the Doctor wondered as Olivia stared at him with wide eyes.

"It's all rubbery," Amy continued. "Feel it! It's all wet and slimy."

The Doctor jumped to his feet and Olivia shot her gaze all around when they caught a sound that Amy either ignored or didn't hear. He looked to Amy who looked back up at him then he looked to Olivia who swallowed in wide-eyed terror before he waved her toward them.

"Um…" he tried as Olivia made her way toward them. "It's not a floor. It's a…"

"It's a what?" Amy urged, standing when he trailed off as Olivia stepped next to him.

"The next word is kind of a scary word," he admitted, taking one of Amy's hands and one of Olivia's hands to glance between them. "You might wanna take a moment, you two. Put yourself in a calm place. Go _om_…"

The girls frowned at him, but imitated his meditation hum for a moment as he grinned, trying to make them feel calm, but it only made Olivia a little more uneasy.

"It's a…tongue," the Doctor finally reported.

"A tongue?" Amy questioned.

"A _tongue_!" Olivia snapped, shoving the Doctor's hand away as he looked to her burning gaze before looking to Amy again.

"A tongue," he confirmed. "A great big tongue."

"This is a mouth," Amy muttered, turning in her spot to look around before looking back at the Doctor. "This whole place…is a mouth? _We're in a mouth_?!"

"We're in a mouth!" Olivia snapped again, shoving the Doctor toward Amy who shoved him back toward her and he steadied himself again as both of them glared at him.

"Yes, yes, yes…but on the plus side…_roomy_," he assured them.

"Oh, yes, because _roomy_ makes being _eaten_ better!" Olivia growled, shoving him again and Amy shoved him back as well.

"Would you _stop_ pushing me about?!" he ordered, glancing between their glares.

"How do we get out?!" Amy demanded.

"How big _is_ this beastie?!" the Doctor wondered, using the Sonic as he turned in his spot. "It's _gorgeous_! Blimey! If this is just the _mouth_ I'd love to see the stomach!"

The noise he'd heard earlier sounded again, louder this time, and he turned to stare at Olivia as she stared at him with wide eyes before glaring at him.

"You just _had_ to say that, didn't you?" she ground out.

"Well…I don't have to see it right _now_," he amended.

"How do we get _out_?!" Olivia snapped.

"Ok…it's being fed through surgically implanted feeing tubes," he observed, using his Sonic Screwdriver for a torch. "So…the normal entrance is…"

The three turned in the direction of the mouth entrance but when they saw the teeth unmoving and shut tight, Olivia gripped the Doctor's hand again and swallowed.

"Closed for business," she breathed in realization.

"We could _try_, though!" Amy reported, starting to head toward the teeth, but a roar sounded and the mouth shook.

"No! Stop! Don't move!" the Doctor called as it shook so badly they all tumbled to the tongue under their feet. "It's too late! It's already started!"

"What has?!" Amy screamed as she fell.

"Oh, don't tell me," Olivia muttered, trying to stand but she slipped and fell face first into the slime.

"Swallowing phase!" the Doctor explained and Olivia threw something at him that hit his face and he called out in disgust, wiping it off his face. "_Olivia_!"

"I _told_ you not to _tell_ me!" she snapped as they all looked like fish out of water, flopping around on the tongue for a moment before the Doctor aimed his Sonic somewhere.

"What are you doing?!" Amy cried, all of them trying to get to their feet.

"I'm hitting the eject button!" he called back, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her up when he got to his feet.

"How does a mouth have an eject button?!" Olivia questioned, steadying herself against him.

"Think about it!" he shot back, making her eyes widen at him and he shrugged.

"Oh, God," she groaned as they looked in the opposite direction of the mouth to see a huge wave of stomach contents heading their way. She grabbed Amy's hand as they stared ahead in disgusted awe and the Doctor gripped Olivia's hand, straightening his bowtie with the other.

"Right then…this isn't going to be big on dignity!" he shouted over the noise. "_Geronimo_!"

"I _hate_ you!" Olivia shouted as Amy shouted in panic before the wave hit them.

Olivia couldn't remember how she'd gotten there, but she found herself coughing and laying on a hard floor in a dim hallway, Amy right next to her doing the same and the Doctor at the door near their feet.

"There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion in either of you," he reported before looking to them. "And yes, you're both covered in sick."

"This is the worst date _ever_!" Olivia snapped, slowly getting up then stepping toward Amy to help to her feet.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, both girls leaning back on the wall of the curved hallway.

"Overspill pipe…at a guess," the Doctor replied, using the Sonic on the door.

"God it _stinks_!" Amy called.

"I…don't think that's the pipe," Olivia said, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh…" Amy muttered before taking a whiff of herself and she yanked her nose away from her arm, her eyes watering at the potency.

"Can we get out?" Olivia asked, smiling in amusement at Amy.

"One door," the Doctor replied, turning to step toward them. "One door switch. One condition…we forget everything we saw."

The button that said 'Forget' lit up on the door, drawing their attentions.

"That's the carrot," the Doctor explained before lights came on at the end of the hall to reveal two booths with the smiling men in them. "Ooh! And here's the stick!"

"Doctor, I have to tell you something—"

"Not now, Liv," he cut in as he marched toward the booths and she tried to grab his sleeve before he passed but he was too quick and the girls followed him. "There's a creature at the heart of this ship. What's it doing?"

The heads turned to reveal a frowning expression, Olivia stepping up next to him.

"Doctor—"

"No," he said. "That's not gonna work on me so come on! Big old beast below decks and everyone that protests get shoved down its throat. Is that how it works?"

The heads turned again to show the ugliest of the three faces they'd seen before.

"Doctor…" Olivia tried again.

"Stop it," the Doctor told them. "I'm not _leaving_, and I'm not _forgetting_, so what are you fellas gonna do about it? Stick out your tongues? Huh?"

"Doctor! Olivia snapped, yanking on his arm to pull him to face her.

"Olivia! I'm trying to—!"

"They're _alive_!" she finally reported, making him frown at her in wonder.

"What?" he murmured.

"Doctor!" Amy called, drawing their attentions to the booths.

The doors on the booths opened and the men inside stood to head toward them, making Olivia grab hold of the Doctor's hand as they backed up. Olivia frowned in wonder when she heard something coming up behind them and when she turned to see who it was, she gasped, shoving the Doctor out of the way and Amy shoved herself against the opposite wall as Liz Ten came marching up behind them with a gun to shoot the things marching toward them, sending them to the ground.

She holstered her gun and turned to the three with a smile as the Doctor smiled as well, "Look who it is. You look a lot better without your mask."

Olivia nodded in agreement as Liz Ten turned to head toward Amy with an extended hand and guessed, "You must be Amy. I'm Liz. Liz Ten."

"Hiya," Amy chirped, shaking her hand and Liz gave a disgusted sound before wiping her hand on her cloak as the Doctor and Olivia approached them.

"Nothing here, Amy," she explained, not wanting to offend. "I was talkin' about the…sick."

Amy looked down at herself before looking back to the Doctor and Olivia with wide eyes as Liz stepped toward the door.

"You know Mandy, yeah?" Liz guessed, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders as she approached, the three in front of them smiling down at her. "She's very brave."

"How did you find us?" Olivia wondered.

"Stuck my gizmo on you," Liz smirked. "Been listenin' in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So…what's the big fella doin' here?"

"You're over sixteen, you've voted," the Doctor guessed. "Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it."

"No," Liz argued. "Never forget. Never voted. Not _technically_ a British subject."

"Then _who_ and what are, and how do you know _me_?" the Doctor asked her and Olivia frowned when Liz smiled.

"Little bit hard to miss, love," she smiled, making Olivia straighten and grip his hand a little tighter at her tone. "Mysterious stranger…MO consists of a higher alien intelligence…hair of an idiot."

The Doctor, who had been smirking at the flattery, lifted a hand to his wet hair and tousled it in embarrassment, before Olivia pulled his hand down and shook her head at him when he looked at her, not wanting him to get any more alien puke all over the place.

"I've been brought up on the stories," Liz continued. "My whole family was."

"Your family?" Olivia frowned, but something caught their attention behind them and they turned to see one of the men on the ground moving. "What are they?! Terminators?!"

"They're repairing," Liz explained. "It doesn't take them long. Let's move."

She led the way as Mandy followed her, the Doctor pulling Amy along to have her follow Mandy and Olivia clutching his hand as they brought up the rear. When they came out of the pipe, Liz began to explain and the four followed her.

"The Doctor: Old drinking buddy of Henry Twelve. Tea and scones with Liz Two. Vickie was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted _and_ exiled on the same day! And so much for the _Virgin_ Queen you _bad_, bad boy!"

"Liz Ten!" the Doctor suddenly realized as Olivia came to the same conclusion right about the last part about the Virgin Queen.

"Yeah," Liz replied. "Elizabeth the Tenth…and _down_!"

The four ducked as she lifted her pistols up and shot the things following them before the Doctor and Olivia looked up at her with wide eyes each, kneeling at her feet. "I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically…I _rule_."

She turned to lead them through the ship as the Doctor and Olivia fell behind to bring up the rear.

"So…the Virgin Queen?" Olivia chirped to the Doctor expectantly.

"Now?" he questioned, irritably as they continued on. "You wanna do this, _now_?! Big things are happening and you wanna ask me about that _now_?!"

"Yes, _now_, because you never told me about _that_ one!" she snapped.

"We were a bit busy at the time, Liv," he replied.

"We're _always_, busy…_always_ running, and yet, you _still_ found time to tell me about River!" she shot back in a hushed tone.

"That was different," he waved off in dismissal with his free hand. "I hadn't even _met_ Queen Bess yet when I told you about River."

Olivia yanked her hand from his, making him stop and whirl around to stare at her wide-eyed expression of disbelief as she stood as still as a statue and he suddenly realized what he'd said.

"What?" she breathed.

"Liv…hang on—"

"So…if I'm hearing this correctly…" she cut in, holding a silencing hand toward him when he took a step toward her and he stopped. "…after you _dumped_ me in Cardiff, you proceeded to head for Sixteenth Century England and _cheat on me_ with Elizabeth the First?!"

The Doctor glanced back at the group that was marching ahead without them and hesitantly pointed in that direction when he looked back at Olivia, muttering, "We're…we're losing them…Liv."

"Answer the question," Olivia ground out, making him swallow but he said nothing, and really, she knew she didn't need him to say it. She already knew and her heart clenched so tightly she felt she couldn't breathe as she felt tears prick her eyes. "River was one thing, Doctor. I could accept that…but _this_?"

"Doctor?" they heard Amy call from down the trail but he didn't look back as he felt his hearts clench in guilt at the look on Olivia's face as she shook her head.

"After all the fuss you've made about Jack, and he and I didn't even _sleep_ together," she snapped then ground out, "You're an idiot."

She marched toward Amy's call, but before she passed him, he gripped her arm to stop her, keeping a firm hold when she tried to pull away.

"This conversation isn't over," he told her, making her glare at him as he met her gaze. "We need to get this sorted _now_. Will you let me get my word in now?"

"For all the good it'll do you," she snapped, yanking her arm from his hand and turning to face him, crossing her arms in front of her and glaring at him. "Well? What excuse do you have for me?"

"No excuses," he shot back, facing her and placing his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "The _truth_. I never slept with her, Liv."

Olivia's eyes widened at him as she lowered her arms to her sides and breathed, "You…didn't? Then…how come Liz Ten just said you _did_?"

"Because…Bess was a bit of a Drama Queen…no pun intended," he replied and Olivia couldn't help but give a small smile at the joke but said nothing. "I was very drunk. There was a wedding ceremony that I _might _have been party to, but I swear to you, Liv, when we got to the marriage bed, I passed out cold. Nothing happened. I left the next morning and she was angry with me so made up the story that I _did_ sleep with her. And if ya think about it, she's no longer my wife _now_. She's long since dead."

"I understand that," she nodded. "What I was upset at was the _sleeping with her_ part of this little rumor."

"So…you're alright then?" he hoped. "We're…made up? I can kiss you again if I want to…_when_ I want to?"

"You can kiss me _now_, if you want," she confirmed, making him grin before pressing a quick kiss to her lips then grabbing her hand and pulling her in the direction the group had gone.

He hurried ahead to burst through a door they needed to turn into and Olivia was about to head down the hall but when he tugged her back she looked to her left to see a cage-like wall with scorpion-like tails stabbing at it to be free. Liz closed the door behind them as they all stopped and stared at the three tails.

"There's a high speed Vator through there. Oh, yeah. And there's these things," she reported, stepping up next to the Doctor and asked, "Any ideas?"

"Doctor, I saw one of these up top," Amy reported as the Doctor scanned it with his Sonic Screwdriver then read the results. "There was a hole in the wall where it burst through like…like a root."

"_Exactly_ like a root," the Doctor replied, putting the Sonic away again. "It's all one creature. The same one we were inside. Reaching out."

"It must be going through the mechanisms of the entire ship," Olivia guessed, still staring at the things.

"What?" Liz wondered. "Like an infestation?"

The Doctor nodded, neither he nor Olivia taking their eyes off the things.

"Someone's helping it…feeding it…feeding my _subjects_ to it!" Liz growled before marching down the hall with Mandy right behind her. "Come on! We've gotta keep moving!"

Amy was about to follow but when the Doctor and Olivia didn't move she stepped back to them.

"Oh, Amy," the Doctor breathed, glancing at her before looking back at the things. "We should never have come."

He pulled Olivia with him to follow Liz, but when Amy didn't move this time, Olivia frowned back at her as her hand slipped through the Doctor's hand and she stepped closer to the ginger.

"Amy?" she called, making her look to Olivia with huge eyes. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Amy chirped, hurrying toward Olivia. "Sorry. I was just…thinkin'. I'm fine."

Olivia still frowned at Amy as she hurried past her to head after the group, wondering what she was thinking about.

* * *

**A/N:** because Olivia would DEFINATELY have a problem with that whole Liz One business. reviews?


	8. A Secret Revealed

**A/N:** new Chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 8: A Secret Revealed**_

Olivia frowned at the Doctor as he carefully navigated a path through a cluster of glasses of water on the floor in Liz Ten's bedroom in front of a mirror. She, Amy and the Doctor had cleaned themselves up as Liz sat on her bed, watching him as well.

"Why all the glasses?" the Doctor asked Liz.

"To remind me every single day that my government is up to something," she replied, watching him step away from the glasses to head around the bed. "And it's my _duty_ to find out what."

"The Queen going undercover to investigate her own _kingdom_," Olivia frowned, sitting on the settee at the foot of the bed as the Doctor lifted the mask Liz had worn when they first met to examine it.

"_Secrets_ are being kept from me," Liz shot back. "I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this. My entire reign…and you three achieved more in one afternoon."

"How old were you when you came to the thrown?" the Doctor asked, still looking at the mask as he stepped in front of Olivia.

"Forty," Liz replied. "Why?"

Amy and Olivia turned frowns of wonder to her as Amy stepped away from the mirror on the other side of the bed where she'd been pinning up her hair, asking, "What? You're fifty then? No way!"

"Yeah," Liz smiled as Amy sat next to Olivia who turned to face the Queen, Mandy sitting next to Amy. "They slowed my body clock. Keeps me lookin' like the stamps."

"And you _always_ wear this in public?" the Doctor asked of the mask, sitting in front of Liz.

"Undercover's not easy when you're me," Liz replied, defensively.

"Yeah, but it's porcelain," the Doctor explained. "Stays on by itself 'cause it's _perfectly_ sculpted to your face."

"Yeah? So what?" Liz questioned with a frown.

"Oh, Liz…so _everything_," the Doctor replied, making Olivia frown at him as well but their attention was drawn to the door when black cloaked men came into the room and the Doctor stood from the bed, Olivia standing to step right next to him.

"What are you doing?!" Liz demanded. "How _dare_ you come in here?!"

"Mum, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK," the man leading the group explained. "You will come with us now."

"Why would I do that?" Liz questioned, standing to strut in front of him, but she took a step back when his head turned to reveal the devilishly angry face they'd seen on the men in the booths.

"How can they be Smilers?" Amy wondered as Olivia looked up at the Doctor and he stared at them as if he had known all along.

"Half Smiler, half human," he corrected as Olivia took his hand in hers, not looking away from the Smilers in front of them.

"Whatever you creatures are, I'm _still_ your queen," Liz ground out at one of them. "On who's authority has this been done?"

"The highest authority, Mum," the Smiler replied.

"I _am_ the highest authority!" Liz growled.

"Yes, Mum," he replied again. "You must go now, Mum."

"Where?" she demanded.

"The Tower, Mum," he answered.

"Isn't that where people go to await execution?" Olivia whispered to the Doctor.

"It has a different purpose now, it seems," he replied, before looking back to the bed and nodding toward it, whispering, "Grab her mask. Might need it later."

Olivia frowned but did as he said and he gripped her hand, tightly when she returned to his side before whispering again, "Stay close, Liv."

* * *

_The Tower..._

The group stepped through a door and Olivia frowned when she saw a huge machine at the center of it, shooting a beam into the floor but she couldn't see what it was hitting in the hole in the floor.

"Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked, looking into a caged off hole next to the door they'd entered to see three scorpion tail-like things fighting to get out.

"The lowest point of Starship UK," the Doctor replied, walking past her and Liz as he still held Olivia's hand. "The dungeon."

"Mum," someone called from the room and Liz looked in the direction of the voice to see an old man pulling off the hood of his cloak to lower his head in respect to her.

"Hawthorne," Liz frowned, approaching him. "So this is where you hid yourself away. You've got some explaining to do."

"There're children down here," Olivia noticed as the Doctor pulled her toward the two and the children passed by them. "What are they doing here?"

"Protestors and citizens of limited value are fed to the Beast," Hawthorne replied. "For some reason it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky."

"You would feed _children_ to it?!" Olivia snapped, marching toward the old man, but the Doctor gripped her arms to pull her back.

"Yeah," the Doctor began, pulling Olivia back to step between her and Hawthorne. "Look at us. The torture chamber in the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it? Well…except it _is_. _Except_ it _isn't_."

"Doctor, could you maybe make some sense now for those of us who _aren't_ in your head?" Olivia hoped as he turned to stroll around the room and she stepped next to Amy.

"Depends on your angle, Liv," the Doctor replied, stepping up to the hole where the machine in the center of the room was pointing, and the group stepped around to look inside, Olivia's eyes widening in disbelief.

"What's that?" Liz asked with a frown.

"Well, like I said, it depends on the angle," he replied, looking up at Olivia and she knew that tone of voice, even if the voice using it was different than what she was used to. "It's _either_ the exposed pain center of big fella's brain being _tortured_ relentlessly…"

"Or?" Olivia wondered, hesitantly when he trailed off, swallowing as she met his gaze, and she knew the look behind these new eyes as well.

"Or…" he continued. "It's the gas pedal. Starship UK's 'go faster' button."

"I don't understand," Liz frowned.

"Don't you?" the Doctor asked, approaching her. "Try it. Thing one: A starship that could never fly. No vibration on deck. This creature…this poor, trapped, _terrified_ creature. It's not _infesting_ you, it's not _invading_. It's what you have instead of an engine." He turned to Hawthorne to continue, "And this place, down here, is where you hurt it. Where you _torture_ it, day after day, just to keep it moving."

Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat but did nothing to stop the tears running down her cheeks and when she looked at the Doctor he caught her gaze and she saw the shift in his eyes. He was mad before, but now he was enraged as he looked back at Hawthorne.

"I tell you what," he snapped, looking around the room before his eyes landed on the covered hole next to the door and he ran toward it to pull the grating off the top. "Normally it's above the range of human hearing."

One of the tails came up out of the hole as the Doctor stepped next to the hole, pulling the Sonic from his jacket as Olivia took a step toward him but he held a hand toward her to stop her. She stopped short, shaking her head at him, not knowing what he was going to do and not wanting him to be hurt.

"This is the sound none of you wanting to hear," he announced before aiming the Sonic at it and a blood curdling sound filled the room that made Olivia throw her hands over her ears. The sound continued before Liz finally told him to stop.

The Doctor lowered the Sonic, shutting it off and the sound faded as Olivia lowered her hands and Amy stared wide eyes at the Doctor as Liz turned toward Hawthorne with a glare, ordering, "Who did this?"

"We act on instructions from the highest authority," Hawthorne replied.

"_I_ am the highest authority," Liz shot back. "The creature will be released _now_."

When no one moved, she glared at Hawthorne and shouted, "I said _now_! Is anyone listening to me?!"

"Liz," the Doctor called gently, holding a hand toward Olivia for the mask as he stepped back toward the tortured brain and she seemed to read his mind as she handed it to him when Liz looked to him in wonder. "Your mask."

"What about my mask?" Liz questioned before the Doctor tossed it to her and she caught it.

"Look at it," he told her as he stepped toward her on the other side of the hole. "It's old. At _least_ two hundred years old, I'd say."

"Yeah, it's an antique, so?" Liz replied, looking back at the Doctor.

"An antique," Olivia murmured, coming up next to the Doctor and staring at the mask before looking back at Liz. "Sculpted by craftsmen two hundred years ago and _perfectly_ sculpted to your face?"

"They slowed your body clock alright," the Doctor explained. "But you're not _fifty_. Nearer…three hundred. It's been a long old reign."

"No, it's ten years," Liz insisted. "I've been on this throne _ten years_."

"Ten years," the Doctor nodded in agreement, taking Liz's hand and pulling her around one of the tables in the room. "The same ten years, over and over again. Always leading you _here_."

Liz looked down at the two huge buttons on either side of a computer screen. One said, 'Forget' and the other said 'Abdicate.'

She looked to Hawthorne as he approached her and asked, "What have you done?"

"Only what you _ordered_," he assured her. "We work for _you_, Mum. The Winders…the Smilers…_all_ of us."

The group looked to the screen as he turned it on and Liz appeared on the screen.

"_If you are watching this_," she said as Liz sat in the chair at the table. "_If __I__ am watching this, then I have made my way to the Toward of London. The creature your are looking at is called a Star Whale_." The image changed to let them see what the thing looked like as she continued, "_Once there were millions of them. They lived in the depth of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the Asteroid Belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind._"

Olivia swallowed, slipping her hand into the Doctor's but neither of them looked from the screen.

"_And what we have done to it breaks my heart_," Liz on the screen continued. "_The Earth was burning. Our sun turned on us and every other nation turned to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter…and then it came…like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety._

"_If you wish our voyage to continue, press the Forget button. Be again, the heart of this nation…untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision._"

"I voted for this," Amy breathed, looking to the Doctor as he and Olivia turned to her. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you knew if we stayed here I'd be faced with the impossible choice," the Doctor replied. "Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. That was wrong. You don't _ever_ decide what I need to know."

"I don't even remember doing it!" Amy replied defensively as Olivia looked to the Doctor with a frown of wonder.

"You _did it_, that's what counts," he shot back.

"I…I'm sorry," Amy said, sincerely.

"Oh, I don't _care_," he retorted, making Olivia and Amy look at him with wide eyes filled with disbelief as he turned to head toward one of the control panels. "When I'm done here, you're going home."

"Doctor?" Olivia breathed as she remained in her spot but he didn't look at her.

She swallowed, looking to Amy who looked back at her in confusion. She remembered the times he'd left her and how she felt after that first time having seen the stars and never knowing when she would see them again and it made her fume as she turned to march up next to the Doctor.

"Why?" she ground out in his ear, but he still didn't look away from what he was doing. "Because she made a mistake? _One_ mistake?! She doesn't even remember _doing_ it!" When he still didn't look at her or respond she snapped, "Doctor—!"

"Yeah, I know," he cut in, making her frown at him as he glanced at her. "You're all only human."

Olivia saw the resolve in his eyes, not noticing Amy and Liz heading toward their position until the Queen spoke up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"The worst thing I'll ever do," he sighed, making Olivia's eyes widen at him as he adjusted something. "I'm gonna pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain."

"But…that'll knock out all of its higher functions," Olivia realized, staring wide eyes at him. "Doctor, you'll be leaving it a vegetable."

"Exactly," he muttered. "The ship will still fly but the whale won't feel it."

"But that'll be like killing it," Amy realized.

"Three options," he began, irritably. "One: I _let_ the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two: I _kill_ everyone on this ship. Three: I _murder_ a beautiful, innocent creature as _painlessly_ as I can…and then I find a new name, because I won't be the Doctor anymore."

"There must be something we can do," Olivia tried. "Some other way. There's _always_ another way. You taught me that."

"Nobody talk to me," he grumbled before turning to her and shouting, "Nobody _human_ has anything to say to me today!"

Her wide-eyed gaze shrunk down to a glare as he turned back to what he was doing. Amy and Liz said nothing as they stepped away to let him work but Olivia remained where she was, even when he turned to head around the panel to continue working and he looked down at her, meeting her glare with his.

"That is the _last_ time you get to yell at me like that," she ground out. "You get _one_ freebee, and _that_ was it."

They held each other's glare for a moment before she turned and marched toward Amy where she sat against the wall with Mandy. She crossed her arms in front of her, leaning back on the wall but she didn't sit as Amy glanced up at her, noticing that she was seething.

"Is he always like this?" Amy wondered, drawing Olivia's attention to her.

"Unforgiving?" Olivia guessed, but Amy said nothing as Olivia looked back at the Doctor to glare at him and reply, "He never _used_ to be. Not _this_ cold."

The three girls watched him work, two forlorn and one seething, until their attentions were drawn to the door opening and the group of children that had passed through the room earlier came back in, making Mandy shoot to her feet and call to her friend, Timmy. They stood near the hole the Doctor had uncovered and Amy stood as one of the tails emerged behind Mandy. Olivia was about to call out and Amy was about to run for her when they both stopped, seeing the tail only tap Mandy's shoulder and both children began petting it, making both girls frown in wonder.

"It won't eat the children," Olivia breathed, making Amy look back at her and they both realized it at the same time.

"Doctor! Stop!" Amy called as Olivia ran for the Doctor and Amy ran toward Liz. "Whatever you're doing, stop it now!"

He glanced up at Olivia before looking back at what he was doing, but she yanked everything out of his hands and pulled him away from the panel by the arm.

"Olivia! What the hell are you doing?!" he snapped then caught Amy dragging Liz toward the two buttons she was to push.

"Sorry your majesty," Amy said. "Gonna need a hand."

"Amy! No! Don't!" the Doctor shouted, loosing himself from Olivia's grip and running toward them just as Amy slammed Liz's hand down on the button that said 'Abdicate.' A roar sounded through the room before it shook violently for a few moments and a moment later it stopped. "Amy what have you done?"

"Nothing at all," she replied as everyone steadied themselves and Hawthorne went to the computers to look at the readings on the screens. "Am I right?"

"We've _increased_ speed," Hawthorne reported.

"Yeah, well when you've stopped torturing the pilot, gotta help," Amy grinned brightly as Olivia ran toward her to hug her tightly for a moment before letting her go, grinning as well.

"He's still here," Liz noticed, looking at the exposed brain. "I don't understand."

"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago," Amy began as Olivia stepped toward the Doctor, still smiling and stood next to him. "It _volunteered_. You didn't have to trap it or _torture_ it. That was just _you_. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry."

Olivia slipped her hand into the Doctor's as they watched Amy continue, "What if you were really old? Really kind and alone. Your whole race, dead. No future…what then? If you were that kind and that old, and the very _last_ of your kind…"

Amy trailed off and turned the Doctor and Olivia as she squeezed his hand gently, finishing for Amy, "You couldn't just stand there and watch children cry."

* * *

_Later..._

The Doctor and Olivia stood silently on an observation deck, staring out at the stars around the Starship UK. He glanced at her a few times before turning and opening his mouth to speak but the sound of footsteps coming up to them made him stop and lift a hand to scratch at the back of his head nervously when Olivia turned to meet Amy with a smile.

"From her majesty," Amy smiled, presenting Liz's mask between the couple. "She says there will be _no_ _more_ secrets on Starship UK."

Olivia took the mask with a smile, but the Doctor said nothing as he lowered his hand and stared out at the stars again, making both girls look to him in wonder as he crossed in his arms in front of him.

"Amy, you could've _killed_ everyone on this ship," he explained.

"You could've killed a Star Whale," she replied, making him look at her.

"You saved it," he murmured, looking back at the stars. "I know, I know…"

The three stared out at space when the Doctor trailed off and they were all silent until Amy spoke again.

"It's amazing though, don't you think?" she began, looking to the Doctor. "The Star Whale…all that pain and misery…and loneliness and it just made it kind."

"You couldn't have known how it would react," the Doctor replied, looking to her.

"_You_ couldn't," Olivia blurted, making him glance to her.

"But I've seen it before," Amy added and he looked to her again. "Very old, and very kind and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar?"

Olivia smirked and looked to the two as they hugged then looked down at the mask in her hands and picking at the edge before turning to head off the deck and toward the Vator that would take her to the deck where the TARDIS was. When Amy and the Doctor emerged from their hug, Amy frowned when she saw Olivia heading away from them and the Doctor looked around for her before spotting her as Amy had.

"Is she alright?" Amy wondered, looking to the Doctor as he lifted a hand to scratch at his neck again.

"She's…probably…still a bit cross with me," he admitted, taking Amy's hand and pulling her in the direction Olivia was heading. "We're all headed in the same direction, but I don't like the thought of her on her own."

They caught up with Olivia and Amy slung an arm around her shoulders, making the other woman grin up at her and the two began to chat as they made their way back to the TARDIS. She didn't even look at the Doctor, even when they approached the ship.

"Shouldn't we say goodbye?" Amy wondered as they made their way through the crowd. "Won't they wonder where we went?"

"For the rest of their lives," he confirmed. "Ooh, the songs they'll write. Never mind them! Big day tomorrow!"

That made Amy stop a few steps from the TARDIS as the Doctor and Olivia kept walking and she blurted, "Sorry, what?"

"Well it's _always_ a big day tomorrow!" the Doctor grinned as Olivia unlocked the door. "We've got a time machine! I skip the little ones."

"You know what I said about gettin' back by tomorrow morning?" Amy recalled, making them both look to her and the Doctor stepped toward her as she continued, "Have you ever run away from something because…you were scared or…or not ready or…just because you could?"

"Once," the Doctor replied, making Olivia frown at him but she said nothing. "A _long_ time ago."

"What happened?" Amy wondered, hanging on his every word now.

"Hello," he replied, presenting himself before he turned back to head into the TARDIS when he heard a phone start to ring.

"Doctor…Olivia, there's something I haven't told you!" she confessed before frowning in wonder and cutting into her own confession to say, "No…hang on. Is that a _phone_ ringing?"

"I do believe it _is_," Olivia grinned, pushing the door open to let the Doctor and Amy run into the TARDIS and she shut the door behind them, following them to the console.

"People _phone_ you?" Amy questioned, as the Doctor strolled around the console.

"Well, it's a _phone _box," he replied, as Olivia strolled up next to him to help him drive and he gestured to the phone on the console asking Amy, "Would you mind?"

Amy frowned at him before lifting the phone from the receiver and muttering, "Hello?" She listened carefully before questioning, "Sorry _who_? No, seriously, who?" She lowered the phone to her shoulder to report, "He says he's the Prime Minister."

"First the Queen now the Prime Minister," Olivia smirked, strolling around the console to lean between the two and smirk at the Doctor, "You _certainly_ get around."

"Which Prime Minister?" the Doctor asked Amy and gestured to Olivia to pull a lever down and when she did, he pushed an identical lever up.

"Which Prime Minister?" Amy asked into the phone then listened for a moment before reporting, "The British one."

"Which British one?" he asked.

"Which British one?" Amy questioned into the phone before listening again then handed the phone to him slowly, replying, "Winston Churchill for you."

"Oh!" the Doctor grinned, taking the phone to speak into it. "Hello, dear! What's up?!"

"Seriously?" Amy murmured to Olivia who frowned at the Doctor for a moment before looking to Amy. "Winston Churchill?! Honestly?!"

"Seriously," Olivia replied in a hushed tone. "But, if you want _my_ opinion: Nothing beat that trip to Tombstone he and I made together. Met Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers…and fixed a Tumoiian ship…fought some cowboys. The usual."

"Don't worry Prime Minister. We're on our way," the Doctor said into the phone, as Amy stared at Olivia with wide eyes before looking to the Doctor as he hung up the phone, all three grinning. "Right! Now let's shove off! Amy, you'll find the wardrobe up the stairs, two doors down to the…_left_. Can't have you meet the Prime Minister in your nighty. He'll have a field day with that."

"I'll help you out, Amy," Olivia smiled, heading after her toward the stairs but she was stopped.

"Liv, I need you here," he called, making her stop and frown at him, but he didn't look away from the console. "You have to…help me fly."

Olivia frowned but nodded to Amy that she go on without her and as Amy hurried up the stairs, Olivia strolled toward the Doctor as he flew the TARDIS, leaning next to him on the console to look at him in playful suspicion.

"You can fly the TARDIS just fine without me," she recalled. "So what do you _really_ need me here for?"

He pressed a button with a flare before turning on his heel to face her, scratching the back of his head again as she turned to face him as well. He lowered his hand, his mouth twitching a bit before he took her hand into his, staring down at it as she only frowned at him in wonder.

"I'm sorry…I shouted at you earlier," he murmured, not looking away from her their hands as he stroked her fingers with his thumb. "I was very upset and I shouldn't have taken it out on _you_. It wasn't your fault. I'm really…very sorry, Liv."

She smiled and lifted a hand to place it under his chin and gently tug his gaze to hers, leaning forward to press a tender kiss to his lips.

"Apology accepted," she smiled, lowering her hand and he grinned at her, gratefully. "I know you were upset. I just…really didn't like seeing you so angry. Not because you yelled at me but because…I know that's how you hide your pain now. I could see it your eyes."

He swallowed and nodded before Olivia threw her arms around his neck and he hugged her tightly in return.

"You know me too well, Liv," he murmured into her ear. "And that scares me."

"Me too," she admitted before pulling away to hold his head in her hands and look him in the eyes. "But no matter how hard we try, we're drawn to each other. Like our song says. It's a gravity pull, like when we first met."

"I don't think I'd have it any other way," he smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek and making her giggle before he turned to the console again. "Alright! The London Blitz! Pray we don't meet Jack Harkness while we're there."

"Oh, I'm sure that would mess with his mind to no end!" Olivia laughed as the engines gave the two a rhythm to fly to.

Little did they know, a familiar crack had formed on the Starship UK's hull, glowing brightly and ominously.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	9. A Few Surprises

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 9: A Few Surprises**_

Amy grinned as she made her way down the stairs in her new clothes and struck a pose when she was in sight of the console, waiting for the Doctor and Olivia to say something, but when she was met with silence, she frowned and glanced around the room in confusion.

"Ah! Liv! Stop it! That tickles!" the Doctor squeaked, making Amy frown and look around the room again. She knew they were there…_somewhere_…

She frowned deeper and in even more confusion when she heard Olivia giggle and say, "Come on, don't be coy _now_."

"Liv, behave!" he whispered, harshly as Amy smirked and leaned on the railing of the stairs. "Amy could walk in any minute! We can't—! Ah! Olivia _Felton_!"

"_Please_…don't let me interrupt!" Amy called loudly.

She snickered when she heard the Doctor yelp and saw him shoot to his feet on the opposite side of the console, his shirt untucked, one suspender hanging off his shoulder, his jacket off and his bowtie untied, hanging around his neck.

"Amy!" he chirped, looking down at himself and quickly trying to organize himself muttering, "We…didn't…hear you."

"Oh, I'm _sure_, you didn't," she smirked, leaning sideways on the railing to catch Olivia slowly peeking over the console, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes wide as she glanced around before slowly lowering herself below the console again as the Doctor frowned down at her but continued putting himself together. "How many rooms in this place and _you_ two have a little afternoon delight in the _control room_?"

"It's Olivia's fault," the Doctor blurted, pulling the hanging suspender onto his shoulder and starting at his bowtie as Olivia shot to her feet to reveal her own clothes disheveled as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at him in false irritation.

"Oh, like you hadn't thought of it before!" she shot back, combing her hands through her hair and he glanced at her sheepishly, fumbling with his bowtie. She rolled her eyes and approached him as Amy strolled toward the console and Olivia lifted her hands to his to gently push them away from his neck, smiling, "Let me help. This needs a woman's touch."

"I was _hoping_ for an applause at my new outfit, but instead I walked into some kink in the control room," Amy blurted, making Olivia laugh as the Doctor stared wide eyes at the ginger, his cheeks almost as red as her hair.

"You look very nice, Amy," Olivia smiled over her shoulder before finishing with the Doctor's bowtie then began straightening herself out as Amy gave a curtsy. Olivia frowned when her phone went off, making Amy frown at her as the other woman pulled it from her pocket to look at it.

"Your phone _works_…in space?" Amy wondered as Olivia looked to the screen of her phone, not responding as the Doctor began flying the TARDIS.

"I fixed it for her," the Doctor explained, watching Olivia as she stared at the screen of her phone. "Everything alright, Liv?"

"Yeah…" she mumbled, not looking to either one of them. "Aaron texted me."

"Your mum said he'd come 'round," the Doctor smiled as Amy strolled next to Olivia and leaned back next to her on the console.

"What's he say?" she wondered and Olivia only frowned at the phone before glancing up at Amy, then back at the phone.

"He…says he's moving," Olivia replied.

"Moving out of your mum's?!" the Doctor chirped with a grin, sailing up next to her. "_Finally_?"

"He's moving…to England," Olivia breathed, making the Doctor frown and turn to look at the phone and Amy glanced between them. "Ealing? Where the hell is Ealing?!"

She looked up at the Doctor and ordered, "Take me back home _now_."

"But…Churchill's waiting for us, Liv, remember?" the Doctor reminded her as she worked around the console. "He said it was important. Potentially dangerous situation."

"I _have_ to talk to Aaron," Olivia replied. "I have to know why England and why Ealing…if there is such a place."

"There is," the Doctor nodded, making her look up at him in wonder as he shrugged, "Sarah Jane Smith lives there."

"Oh! A _woman_," Olivia chirped, stepping in front of him to yank a lever down as she glared at him. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Why don't you just…call him?" Amy wondered as Olivia moved to another part of the console. "He texted you, so it means he doesn't wanna talk about it face to face."

"_Or_ he thinks I'm too busy and he'll be gone by the time I come back," Olivia replied. "No, I need to _see_ it in his face. _Hear_ it in his voice."

"Olivia," the Doctor murmured, stepping up to her and setting a hand over one of hers, making her look up at him with wide eyes filled with wonder as he glanced to Amy then stepped close enough to speak lowly. "He's not leaving because he's angry with you. I know him, and he would never do that. _Call_ him."

Olivia sighed in thought, casting her gaze to the console before nodding and the Doctor smiled as he moved his hand from hers and began piloting the TARDIS. She was about to head down the stairs leading under the console but she stopped and stepped back to his side to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm sorry about what I said about…Sarah," she whispered.

"Sarah _Jane_," he corrected and she nodded.

"I'll be back," she assured him.

"We're on our way to the London Blitz, remember," he reminded her.

She nodded on her way down the stairs, then waited until she was completely under the glass floor before dialing Aaron's number, pressing it to her ear and hearing the ringback tone sounded before she heard his voice.

"_What's up, Olivia?_" he wondered, and she frowned at his seemingly cheery tone.

"'What's up?'" she echoed, irritably. "You just texted me saying you're moving to Ealing in _England_, and you ask me 'What's up'?" She sighed and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index fingers before pacing and continuing, "Look, I know you're mad at me, but do you _really_ think moving out of the country is a healthy way to handle it?"

"_I'm not moving because of that, Olivia_," he shot back. "_I'm not that childish_."

"Coulda fooled _me_," she muttered. "Look, I'm _really_ sorry about the way I left, Aaron, but—"

"_Wasn't your fault, sweetie_," he cut in. "_I'm sorry about the way I acted. When you come back, we can a nice dinner and get to know this new version of the Doctor. No hostilities, I promise_."

"Apology accepted, and I'm sure he'll _love_ that, but you haven't told me _why_ you're moving to England," she retorted, gently. "And Ealing, of all places? I've never even _heard_ of the place."

"_Job offer_," he explained. "_It's actually in London but I wanted to live somewhere outside the city. Ealing's a nice little town. I'll send you the address. It's on Bannerman Road_."

"No, no, no…don't give me the address," she retorted. "You do that, it means you're really going."

"_I __am__ going, Olivia_," he replied. "_Just not right away. At least not until I see you to say goodbye_."

"What about mom?" she questioned. "Who's gonna take care of her while I'm gone, Aaron?"

"_She gave me the go ahead_," he replied, casually. "_She said I needed to get out instead of sitting here and worrying about __you__ so much_."

"Typical," Olivia sighed. "She sends _you_ off to England, but when _I_ wanna go make a difference by traversing the universe, she has a problem with it."

"_You're her daughter_," Aaron reminded her. "_You freak out more about your own flesh and blood than your flesh and blood's best friend_."

"I guess," she sighed, glancing up as the Doctor's shadow as it passed over her and she smiled up at him before lowering her gaze to the floor and murmuring, "I gotta go. Promise you won't move till after I make a visit, ok?"

"_Well…I guess_," he sighed in false irritation, making Olivia giggle and she smiled widely at hearing him laugh again. "_I'm glad you called_."

"Me, too," she nodded. "See ya later, ok?"

"_Yup_," he chirped. "_Tell the Doctor he better bring you back in one piece, got it?_"

"Of course," she retorted, indignantly. "Give mom my love."

"_Gotcha. See ya_."

"Bye."

Olivia hung up and grinned as she headed back up the stairs just as the Doctor passed her in a flashy spin, catching himself by gripping the edge of the console and looking to her as she instantly came up next to him to help him fly the TARDIS.

"Sorted?" he hoped and she turned to grin at him with a nod.

"Sorted," she smiled, then had a thought and asked, "That friend of yours…Sarah Jane. Where does she live in Ealing?"

"Bannerman Road, I believe," he replied, not looking away from the console as he sailed around her and when he came up behind her he asked in her ear, "Why?"

"Oh, just…curious," she shrugged, smirking as the Doctor stopped next to her, frowning at her in wonder but he said nothing.

"So," Amy chirped, leaning on the other side of the console. "We goin' to see Winston Churchill now?"

"Ah, yes!" the Doctor grinned, slapping a lever into place with a flare as the engines continued their beautiful sound for another few moments before they stopped and the Doctor raced toward the door, gripping Olivia's hand on the way. "Hell of a parking space! Ended up in a closet!"

He stepped to the door and peeked out, letting go of Olivia's hand when he found guns being pointed at him by soldiers and he cautiously stepped out before the soldiers parted to reveal a heavyset man in a suit and hat, a cigar in his mouth.

"Amy," the Doctor grinned as he stepped out fully and held a hand toward the man. "Olivia…Winston Churchill!"

"Doctor?" Churchill smiled. "Is it you?"

"Oh, Winston, my old friend," the Doctor grinned, holding a hand out for him to shake, but when Churchill lifted his hand he only gave a beckoning motion to which the Doctor gave a knowing point. "Ha, ha…every time!"

"What's he after?" Amy wondered, a bright grin on her face, still mesmerized that she was meeting Winston Churchill.

"TARDIS key, of course," the Doctor grinned, not looking away from Churchill.

"Think of what I could achieve with your _remarkable_ machine, Doctor," Churchill tried to advertise as the Doctor turned to shut the door on the TARDIS. "The _lives_ that could be saved…"

"Ah…it doesn't work like that," the Doctor replied, stepping back to Churchill.

"Must I take it by force?" Churchill wondered, honestly.

"I'd like to see you _try_," the Doctor challenged as he slung an arm around Olivia's shoulders to pull her closer and Churchill grinned.

"At ease," he told the soldiers and they lowered their guns.

"You rang?" the Doctor grinned.

"Ah! Yes!" Churchill replied. "But first, introduce me to your two lovely companions."

"Oh…yes," the Doctor replied, nervously. "This is Olivia Felton, here on my arm, and the ginger over there is Amy Pond."

"It's…an honor…Mr. Churchill," Amy grinned, shaking his hand. "I mean…Prime Minister…Sir."

"Mr. Churchill will do _fine_, young lady," he smiled with a short nod before turning to Olivia and shaking her hand as well before stepping closer to her to whisper, "You wouldn't happen to have a key on you, would you, my dear?"

She glanced at the Doctor in false suspicion before leaning closer to Churchill to murmur, "Nice try, Mr. Churchill."

He laughed heartily as he stepped away, Olivia smiling as he nodded to her approvingly, telling the Doctor, "She's a quick one, Doctor."

"Yeah," the Doctor grinned, hugging her neck slightly as Churchill turned to lead them from the closet they'd landed in. "She is."

"This way, Doctor," Churchill called and the three stepped side by side into a hall, led by the Prime Minister. "So you changed your face again?"

"Yeah, well…had a bit of work done," the Doctor replied, making Olivia giggle as Amy skipped next to her.

"Got it, got it, got it!" she grinned, drawing their attention to her as they all continued down the hall and she guessed, "Cabinet War Rooms, right?"

"Yup," the Doctor nodded. "Top secret, heart of the war office, _right_ in the middle of London."

"You're late by the way," Churchill reported just as a woman in uniform came up to him and gave him something to sign.

"Late?!" the Doctor frowned incredulously, looking at the gold watch on his wrist.

"I rang you a month ago," Churchill explained.

"Why can't you get _anywhere_ on time nowadays?" Olivia questioned the Doctor, playfully.

"Oi! It's a Type Forty TARDIS!" he replied to her defensively. "I'm just riding her in! Sorry, Winston. And if I'm not mistaken, Miss Felton, _you_ delayed us a bit."

"You _really_ wanna point fingers about delays…_especially_ the one you're accusing me of in front of Mr. Churchill?" Olivia smirked, knowingly as the group stopped.

The Doctor looked to Churchill as he spoke to the woman in uniform then leaned closer to Olivia to mutter, "No, I don't. Never mind."

"That's what I thought," she nodded and turned just as a man in uniform ran up to the group.

"Excuse me, Sir," he nodded. "Got another formation coming in, Prime Minister."

"We shall go up top, Captain," Churchill nodded then added enthusiastically, "We'll give 'em what for!" He turned to the Doctor and asked, "Coming, Doctor?"

"Why?" he asked as Churchill took the cane the Doctor was holding for him.

"I have something to show you," Churchill replied, leading the way to a lift.

The Doctor glanced between the girls, mouthing "Ooh" excitedly and making Amy laugh as he planted a kiss to Olivia's temple, making her giggle as he pulled her after Churchill. The four filed into the lift and Churchill faced the Doctor's profile, blowing the smoke from his cigar right into his and Olivia's faces. She gave a small cough as the Doctor waved the smoke away as best he could before the Prime Minister pulled the thing from his mouth to hold it as he spoke.

"We stand at a crossroads, Doctor," he began. "Quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands at _anything_ that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

"Such as?" Olivia wondered as the lift stopped, but he didn't answer as he opened the door to the lift and instructed them to follow him.

They were led toward a flight of stairs and out a huge door onto the roof of the building where huge sandbags were piled in formations and a man in a white coat and helmet was staring at the skies through a pair of binoculars next to one of them. The Doctor dropped his arm from Olivia's shoulders and she looped her arm around it when it fell to his side, the girls gazing around at everything they could see as Churchill led them all toward the man.

"Doctor!" Churchill called over the noise. "This is Professor Edwin Bracewell! Head of our Ironside Project!"

The Doctor waved to him, to which the professor waved back, calling, "How do you do?!"

The three stepped closer to the edge of the building, staring at all the barrage balloons tethered down over the city of London. A bomb fell and Olivia gasped when she felt the slight wave of the far off explosion take her breath away before looking back over the city.

"Doctor…" Amy breathed. "Doctor…it's…"

"History," he finished for her.

"Ready, Bracewell?!" Churchill called as Bracewell stared at the planes coming toward them through the binoculars.

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Bracewell called, making the Doctor turn to look at him as he called, "On my order…fire!"

Beams were shot from the bunker next to him, but the sandbags were stacked high enough to cover what was shooting them. Every beam hit a plane just as the girls looked to the bunker as well.

"What was that?!" Amy questioned incredulously as the Doctor stared up at the sky in evaluation and Bracewell turned to them with a proud grin.

"That wasn't human," the Doctor replied as Olivia stared at the sky as well with wide eyes. "That was never human technology…"

"Doctor," she breathed, drawing his attention to her, "That…sounded like…"

He stared at her as her jade gaze became glued to the bunker where the beams had come from, and he felt her grip on his arm tighten, her fingers digging into his arm until they were white. He looked back to the bunker and took her hand in his to lead her toward the ladder, Amy remaining where she was.

"Show me!" he ordered, pulling Olivia up with him on the ladder. "Show me what that was!"

"Advance!" Bracewell called as he turned to the entrance to the bunker just as the Doctor and Olivia stepped onto the platform, Amy watching from below.

"Our new secret weapon!" Churchill explained as the Doctor and Olivia stared wide eyes at the entrance.

Olivia gave a strangled scream when the thing emerged, grasping the Doctor's hand in a death grip with both hands as he took a step toward it, staring at its blue eye in evaluation.

"Doctor, don't!" she pleaded, trying to pull him back as she shook all over, her heart thumping in her ears.

"What do you think?" Churchill called. "Quite something, eh?"

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor questioned in a low tone, not looking away from the eye of the military green colored Dalek.

"I am your soldier," it replied in its straining, mechanical voice.

"What?" the Doctor replied with a frown.

"I am your soldier," it repeated.

"Stop it, you," the Doctor ordered. "Just stop it, _now_."

"Doctor…please…" Olivia shuddered, still holding onto his hand and gently pulling him back.

"You know who I am," he murmured to the eye. "You always know."

"Your identity is unknown," the Dalek replied.

"Perhaps I can clarify, here," Bracewell stepped in, gesturing to the Dalek as the Doctor stepped back to Olivia in time for her to throw her arms around him and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close as he turned to look at Bracewell as he explained, "These are my Ironsides."

"His _what_?" Olivia breathed.

"Your _what_?" the Doctor demanded, but Bracewell kept his gaze on the Dalek.

"You will help the Allied cause in any way you can," Bracewell spoke to the Dalek.

"Yes," it replied.

"Until the Germans have been _utterly_ smashed," Bracewell continued as Olivia lifted her head from the Doctor's chest and swallowed, but still remained in his arms.

"Yes," it repeated.

"And what is your _ultimate_ aim?" he asked.

"To _win_ the war!" it nearly shouted.

"Why?" Olivia breathed, making the Doctor look to her, but she only stared at the Dalek. "Why did it have to be these _stupid_ Tin Cans?"

She gave a gasp when the eye turned to her and she shrunk back into the Doctor's arms, making him look to it as well.

"The female is distraught," it observed.

"Well, of _course_ I'm distraught! Is it any _wonder_ why?!" she shot back and the Doctor tightened an arm around her to pull her closer as Bracewell stepped toward her, catching her attention.

"I understand, young lady, that it's perfectly natural to fear something new that we don't understand," he nodded to her, holding his hand toward her to take, but she only turned a glare at him. "But, I assure you, my Ironsides are quite safe for our allies."

"I understand perfectly well what this is!" she snapped back. "This isn't _new_ to me! And you're out of your mind if you think these things are _safe_! They're anything _but_ safe!"

"Alright, Liv," the Doctor murmured, turning her toward the ladder. "Why don't you go to the TARDIS and calm down a bit while I try to explain things to Winston and everyone, yeah? Relax a bit. Have a dip in the pool."

"No," she argued, turning toward him fully to let him set his hands on her shoulders. "You're not locking me up in there just because it's Daleks. They may scare the living daylights outta me but I am _not_ leaving your side."

His green gaze met her jade one and he saw her resolve. Knowing he wasn't going to win this one he nodded and helped her down the ladder before following her and marching toward Churchill as Bracewell turned to the Dalek to speak to it.

"We have to _talk_, Winston."

* * *

**A/N:** poor Olivia...forced to face the Tin Cans again. reviews?


	10. A Testimony

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 10: A Testimony**_

"They're Daleks," the Doctor insisted as he, Amy, Olivia and Churchill all stood around the Prime Minister's desk, scattered with blue prints and files. "They're _called_ Daleks."

"They are _Bracewell's_ _Ironsides_, Doctor," Churchill argued as the two men stood on either side of the desk, the girls standing off to the side. "Look! Blue prints, statistics, field tests, photographs…he _invented_ them."

"_Invented_ them?!" the Doctor echoed, incredulously as Olivia glanced between the two with wide eyes, her lower lip between her teeth. "Oh, no, no, _no_."

"Yes," Churchill argued, defiantly. "He approached one of our scientists a few months ago. The man is a genius."

"A _Scottish_ genius, too," Amy noticed and told the Doctor, "Maybe you should listen to—?"

"Sh!" the Doctor snapped, cutting Amy off in mid-sentence, holding a hand up to her as he did, staring her down for a moment and she looked back at him in wide-eyed confusion as he looked back at Churchill.

"Not now, Amy," Olivia murmured, now staring at the blue prints on the desk and Amy frowned at her but neither of them said anything more.

"He didn't _invent_ them," the Doctor explained in a low voice. "They're alien."

"Alien?" Churchill echoed.

The Doctor was about to reply when his keen hearing caught a sound from the doorway behind him and Olivia frowned when she noticed him turn his head only slightly to look over his shoulder. She looked to the doorway and gasped when she saw one of the Daleks roll by, its eye looking into the room before it headed down the hall again and the Doctor looked back to Churchill as Olivia stared wide eyes at him.

"Totally hostile," the Doctor warned the Prime Minister.

"Precisely," Churchill replied. "They will win me the war."

"Mr. Churchill," Olivia spoke up, stepping up next to the Doctor and making him frown at her as the other two looked to her in wonder. "With all due respect…I'm just a bit curious…are you _stupid_ or _deaf_?"

"Olivia," the Doctor chided, but she ignored him.

"These things are out of your league," she ground out. "You may _think_ you have control over them, but you _don't_. You _can't_ control them."

"Oh ho, this one's a spitfire, Doctor," Churchill smirked. "We could use more like you in the army."

Olivia stared at him with wide eyes and looked to the Doctor as Churchill stepped around his desk to head down the hall, always busy.

"Why isn't he listening?" Olivia wondered in a hushed tone. "He called us for help and now he doesn't _want_ it?! Why isn't he _listening_ to us?!"

"He only hears the bombs dropping around him, Liv," the Doctor replied, taking her hand in his and pulling her with him to follow Churchill, Amy hurrying after them and when they caught up to Churchill he demanded, "_Why_ won't you listen to me? Why would you call me _in_ if you won't listen to me?"

"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit, I had my doubts," Churchill confessed. "The Ironsides seemed too good to be true."

"Yes! Right! So _destroy_ them! Exterminate them!" the Doctor shot back.

"But imagine what I can do with a hundred of them!" Churchill continued. "A _thousand_!"

"I _am_ imagining," the Doctor shot back, glaring at a Dalek they passed by before Churchill rounded a corner into a huge room, the three stopping outside the entrance.

"He could change history, Doctor," Olivia murmured, softly. "It would be a whole different World War Two than what I read in the history books."

"One possibly without end if the Daleks have anything to do with it," he agreed, glancing around the hall.

"We have to stop him," she shuddered, her gaze landing on a Dalek in the room and the Doctor lifted a hand to her face to stroke her cheek soothingly before pressing a kiss to her head.

"Trying," he whispered before looking at Amy as she stepped next to them to look into the room. "Amy, tell him."

"About what?" she wondered, making Olivia instantly turn a frown to her.

"About the Daleks," Olivia explained as if she should know and Amy frowned between the two.

"What would _I_ know about the Daleks?" Amy wondered, making Olivia's frown deepen as the Doctor stared at her.

"Everything," he explained. "They invaded your world, remember? Planets in the sky. You don't _forget_ that."

The couple stared at Amy as she only stared back at the Doctor in wonder and they both realized she really had no idea what he was talking about.

"Amy…tell me you remember the Daleks," the Doctor urged.

"Nope," she scoffed as if he should know. "Sorry."

"Doctor," Olivia breathed, shaking her head and making Amy glance at her before looking back to the Doctor.

"I know," he murmured. "That's not possible."

Apparently deciding to deal with it later, he turned to head into the room where people were milling around and Amy followed him. Olivia latched onto his arm as she spotted a Dalek rolling around and the Doctor stood them just inside the entrance to the room, letting her hold onto him as Amy stepped up next to them.

"So, they're up to something, but what _is it_?" he murmured. "What are they after?"

"Well, let's just _ask_, shall we?" Amy smiled to the couple before turning to head toward the closest Dalek.

"No! Amy!" Olivia ground out, reaching for her but she stepped out of reach before she could grasp her arm.

"Amelia!" the Doctor called, but she ignored him as well as she stepped next to the Dalek and tapped the metal.

Its eye turned to look her up and down before it asked, "Can I be of assistance?"

"Yes!" Amy smiled. "See, my friends over there, reckon you're _dangerous_…that you're an alien. Is it true?"

"I am your soldier," the Dalek replied as Olivia and the Doctor kept their eyes glued on the scene, one in examination the other in terror.

"Yeah, got that bit," Amy replied, crossing her arms in front of her. "Love a Squaddy…what else, though?"

"Please, excuse me," the Dalek replied, turning away from her and rolling away. "I have duties to perform."

"It's being evasive," Olivia muttered to the Doctor as he lowered his face into his hand. "The Tin Can…is being _evasive_."

"Yeah," he chirped, pulling his arm from her grasp and taking her hand to pull her toward Churchill, taking the cigar from the Prime Minister's mouth to set it down. "Winston…Winston, _please_—"

"We are waging total _war_, Doctor," Churchill explained. "Day after day they _pound_ this great city like an iron fist!"

"Wait till the Daleks get started," the Doctor retorted.

"Men and women and children, slaughtered," Churchill continued. "Families torn apart. The churches in flames."

"Try _the Earth_, in flames!" Olivia snapped.

"I _weep_ for my country," he continued, heading around the table toward one of the women in uniform to sign something she presented to him on a clipboard. "I _weep_ for my Empire. It is _breaking_ my heart."

The Doctor came up behind him when he stopped, setting a hand on his shoulder, assuring, "You're _resisting_, Winston. The whole world _knows_ you're resisting. You're a _beacon_ of _hope_."

"But for how _long_?" Churchill questioned before stepping around the table again, the Doctor and Olivia following. "Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I _use_ these Ironsides _now_."

"Doctor!" Olivia shrieked, ducking behind him as a Dalek rolled toward them.

"Can I be of assistance?" it asked.

"Shut it!" the Doctor demanded, holding a warning hand toward it as he looked to Churchill again. "Listen to me. Just…_listen_. The Daleks have no conscience, no _mercy_, no _pity_. They are my oldest and _deadliest_ enemy. You _cannot_ trust them."

"If Hitler invaded Hell I would give a favorable reference to the Devil," Churchill replied. "These machines are our salvation."

A siren sounded from above, and Churchill sighed in relief, placing a hand over his heart.

"The All Clear," he sighed. "We are safe…for now."

He turned to walk away from the couple and attend to something else as the Doctor and Olivia remained where they were, Olivia peeking over the Doctor's shoulder at the Dalek still in front of them as he glared at it.

"Go _away_," he enunciated. "You're scaring the lady and _irritating_ me."

The Dalek said nothing as it turned to roll away from them and Olivia stepped out from behind the Doctor to grip his hand.

"My hero," she whispered, squeezing his hand.

"You're sure you don't want to wait in the TARDIS?" he tried again, pulling her around the table. "I wouldn't blame you."

"I'd feel worse waiting in there for you," she whispered. "I'll be fine."

"Doctor, it's the All Clear," Amy called, meeting them and glancing between them. "You ok?"

"What does _hate_ look like, Amy?" the Doctor wondered, knowingly.

"Hate?" Amy frowned in wonder.

"Like a Dalek," Olivia breathed, making him look to her as she stared at the Dalek across the room for a moment before looking up at him with wide eyes. "Hate looks like a Dalek."

"And I'm gonna prove it," the Doctor nodded, heading toward the exit and dragging Olivia behind him, Amy hurrying after them.

Olivia gripped the Doctor's hand in both of hers when they passed the Dalek near the door, and he quickly pulled her closer to him as they still walked to wrap an arm around her shoulders to comfort her as they headed down the hall.

"Where are we going?" she asked, timidly and he hated hearing her use that tone. It wasn't like her at all, and he only hoped he could get her out of here and away from these Daleks as soon as possible.

"Bracewell's lab," he replied and she nodded, but said nothing as they came to the huge room.

"Alright, Prof!" he cheered, marching into the room and Olivia's breath hitched when she saw a Dalek in the room. The Doctor picked something random up from one of the tables with his free hand, still holding onto Olivia's arms with the other, reporting, "Winston's been filling me in. _Amazing_ things these Ironsides of yours. _Amazing_. You must be very proud."

"Just doing my bit," Bracewell replied, working on something on one of the tables across the room from where the Doctor, Olivia and Amy had stopped to look over some papers.

"Hm…not bad for a Paisley boy," Amy smiled, lifting a huge wrench and resting it on her shoulder for a moment as the Doctor sat in a chair next to the desk to look through some papers, Olivia standing next to him.

Bracewell laughed as he stopped what he was doing and turned to speak with them directly, smiling to her, "I _thought_ I detected a familiar cadence, my dear."

"How did you come up with the idea for your Ironsides?" Olivia humored as the Doctor continued sifting through the papers he'd lifted, glancing to her with a smirk at her question. He was just about to ask that himself.

"How does the muse of invention come to _anyone_?" Bracewell shrugged, strolling toward the three.

"But you get a lot of these clever notions, do you?" the Doctor wondered, placing the papers back onto the desk.

"Ideas just seem to _teem_ from my head," Bracewell replied, heading toward another table piled high with stuff. "_Wonderful_ things! Here, let me show you…" He lifted a notebook to show it off to Amy, explaining, "Some musings on the potential of hyper-sonic flight."

He lifted another and handed it to Olivia when she came up to him and Amy, the Doctor right behind her and continued, "Gravity bubbles that can sustain life outside the terrestrial atmosphere came to me in the bath."

"And are these _your_ ideas or theirs?" the Doctor questioned, looking over the notebooks before placing them back on the table.

"Oh, no, no, these robots are _entirely_ under my control," Bracewell insisted as a Dalek rolled toward them, holding a tray with a cup and saucer of tea on it, making Olivia jump and shuffle away from it as the Doctor took her hand and squeezed reassuringly and Bracewell took his tea. "They are the perfect servant…_and_, the perfect warrior."

"I dunno what you're up to, Professor," the Doctor began. "But whatever they've promised you, you _cannot_ trust them. Call 'em what you like…the Daleks are _death_."

"Yes, Doctor!" Churchill called entering the room and making everyone turn to him as he approached, a Dalek right behind him that rolled away as he stopped in the center of the room. "Death to our _enemies_! Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"

"Yes, Winston and death to everyone _else_, too," the Doctor shot back.

"Well, he gets around for a hefty man, doesn't he?" Olivia muttered, making Amy give a slight giggle before smothering it with her mouth.

"Would you care for some tea?" the Dalek next to them asked the Doctor and his response was to slam his hand onto the tray it was holding, sending it crashing to the floor as Olivia and Amy jumped in shock, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Stop this!" he shouted, at it. "What are you doing here?! What do you want?!"

"We seek only to help you," the Dalek replied.

"To do _what_?" the Doctor questioned.

"To win the war!" it replied a little too enthusiastically.

"Oh, really," the Doctor smirked. "Which war?"

"I do not understand."

"_This_ war against the Nazi's or _your_ war? The war against the rest of the universe. The war against all living things which are _not_ Dalek."

"I do not understand. I am your soldier."

"Doctor, please…stop," Olivia tried as he looked around him. "It's not gonna tell you anything— What are you doing?!"

"Alright _soldier_," the Doctor shouted, lifting the huge wrench he'd found leaning against the wall. "Defend yourself!"

"Doctor! No!" Olivia nearly screamed as he slammed the Dalek with the wrench and the rest of them shouted at him to stop as he continued. "Stop it! It'll kill you!"

"Doctor, these machines are precious!" Churchill shouted at him.

"Come _on_!" the Doctor shouted, gripping the eye to stare into it, urging, "Fight back! You want to, don't you?! You _know _you do!"

"Doctor, stop!" Amy shouted as he hit it once more.

"What are you waiting for?!" the Doctor urged, slapping his chest over his hearts. "Look! You _hate _me! You _want_ to kill me! Well go on, kill me! _Kill me_!"

"_No_!" Olivia screamed, finally gripping his arm and pulling him back to face her gripping the lapels of his jacket and sobbing, "Stop it, Doctor! I'm begging you, _stop_!"

"Please desist on striking me," the Dalek pleaded as the Doctor pushed passed Olivia to hit it again. "I am your soldier."

"_You are my enemy_!" the Doctor shouted between hits. "And _I_ am _yours_!"

Olivia shuddered, tears streaming from her eyes as she watched him, her hands covering her mouth to smother her sobs, but it did no good.

"You are _everything_ I despise," the Doctor continued. "The _worst_ thing in creation. I've defeated you time and time again. Oh, I've defeated you. _I_ sent you back into the void! _I_ saved the whole of reality from you. I am the Doctor and _you_ are the Daleks!"

He shoved the Dalek with his foot, making it roll back into the desk as Olivia reached for the Doctor and gripped his arm to pull him toward her, all staring at the Dalek to see what it would do. Its eye slowly turned to the Doctor and Olivia felt her breath hitch again in terror as it rolled toward them again.

"Correct," it agreed to the Doctor's statement as it turned to the other Dalek in the room to order, "Review testimony."

"_I am the Doctor and __you__ are the Daleks!_" they all heard the recording sound from one of the Daleks.

"Testimony?" the Doctor questioned. "What are you talking about, testimony?"

"Transmitting testimony now," the other Dalek reported.

"Transmitting what, where?" the Doctor ordered.

"Testimony accepted," one of the Daleks replied, the two still looking at each other and the Doctor held his arms out, backing up.

"Get back, all of you! Now!" he ordered.

"Marines!" Churchill called. "Get in here!"

"No!" Olivia shouted in warning, but it was too late.

Two Marines ran in and the Daleks wasted no time before shooting them on sight, making them shout in pain and fall to the floor dead. Amy gasped at the sight as Olivia gripped the Doctor's hand and he pulled her behind him to let her peek over his shoulder as she shuddered, gripping his sleeve and hand tighter than ever before.

"Stop it!" Bracewell shouted, making them turn to him. "Stop it! What are you doing?! You are my Ironsides!"

"We are the Daleks," one of them argued.

"But I _created_ you!" Bracewell shouted.

"No!" the Dalek replied, aiming the gun at him and the Dalek shot at Bracewell's raised left hand, making him shout and Olivia screamed at the shot as all eyes shot to his hand when it sparked and severed wires stuck out from his sleeve. "_We_ created _you_!"

Bracewell leaned back against one of the tables, his hand sparking as everyone stared at him before looking back to the Daleks as they shouted, "Victory!"

They disappeared in a flash of light and Olivia's hold on the Doctor finally loosened as everyone looked around the room in wonder and disbelief.

"What just happened, Doctor?" Amy breathed.

"I wanted to know what they wanted," he replied as Olivia now only held onto his hand. "What their plan was. _I_ was their plan."

He glanced around before dragging Olivia by the hand as he shot off toward the door, Amy calling out for him, but he didn't answer.

"Theta! What are you doing?!" Olivia demanded. "Where are we going?!"

"TARDIS!" he replied, dragging her through the halls and she frowned, wondering what he planned to do until they reached the closet where the TARDIS was parked, Amy and Churchill following behind them.

"Testimony accepted," he recalled, marching toward the TARDIS. "That's what they said. _My_ testimony."

He let go of Olivia's hand to unlock the door as the other two caught up.

"Don't beat yourself up," Amy retorted, making him look back at her and Churchill. "You were _right_. So what do we do? Is this what we do now? Chase after them?"

"This is what _I_ do and it's dangerous, so you wait here," the Doctor replied, taking Olivia's shoulders and turning her to stand next to Amy, making both girls frown at him.

"What? So you mean we've gotta stay safe down _here_ in the middle of the London Blitz?" Amy shot back as Churchill came up behind the girls.

"Safe as it gets around me," the Doctor replied, waving to them before heading toward the door again.

"Wait! Doctor!" Olivia called as he stepped into the doorway and turned to lean out of the door, looking down at her as she met him but didn't step into the doorway with him. "What are you gonna do?"

"Oh…I dunno," he smiled, casually. "I'll figure it out when I get there…as usual."

"Theta, let me go with you," she whispered but he shook his head. "Why not? I can help you!"

"Liv, if I'm right, I'm heading into the Dalek ship to find out what they're planning," he explained. "A _Dalek_ ship. You turn into a trembling mess with _one_ Dalek in the room and you wanna head up with me to face _several_? No, sweet Liv, you stay here and take care of Amy."

"But—!"

"No, Olivia. Stay here," he murmured, firmly, leaning closer to her ear, his mouth hidden by her hair as he whispered. "Be back in two ticks, darling. I love you. Now give your Highwayman a kiss for luck."

Olivia gave a small nod before turning her head slightly to meet his lips with hers and he pulled away before either one of them could deepen the kiss.

"I love you, Theta," Olivia sniffled, wiping the tears from her cheeks as he nodded before shutting the door and she backed away from the TARDIS, letting it dematerialize as she took in a sharp, calming breath.

"Well what's he expect us to do _now_?" Amy blurted, irritably.

"Keep soldiering on, Amy," Olivia replied before turning to them as they looked to her in wonder. "We keep house till he comes back."

Amy sighed as she sat in a chair at the small desk in the room but everyone's attention was drawn to the door when a woman in uniform came rushing in.

"Prime Minister," she called, handing him some papers when she reached him. "A signal from RDF, Sir. An unidentified object, hanging in the sky. We can't get a proper fix though. It's too far off."

"What do you think, ladies?" Churchill asked as Amy stood from her seat and Olivia stepped toward him to look at the papers. "The Doctor's in trouble in now we _know_ where he is."

"Yup," Amy nodded with a smile, looking to Olivia. "He's gonna be on that ship, won't he?"

"Right in the middle of everything," Olivia mumbled before glancing between the two. "Just where he likes to be."

"Exactly," Churchill nodded.

* * *

**A/N:** it's true, Olivia would be useless. reviews?


	11. A Brave Face

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 11: A Brave Face**_

Night had fallen as Olivia, Amy and Churchill stood in the control room as people milled around them. Amy looked to Olivia from where she stood between her and Churchill and nudged her gently, making Olivia look to her in wide-eyed wonder.

"You know he's gonna be fine," Amy assured her.

"These are Daleks, Amy," Olivia replied, looking back at the table. "You may not know them, but _I_ do. And with the way he is right now, I can't even begin to imagine what he'd do on his own with them. He could be trying to find a way to kill them all…_without_ saving himself."

"Someone switch off the generator!" Churchill ordered, and a man in uniform went to do so, trying to flip a switch on the wall. "Why are the lights in here still on?!"

"It won't switch off," the man in uniform called. "The lights are on all across London, Prime Minister."

"Has to be them," Amy replied, looking between Olivia and Churchill. "Has to be the Daleks."

"I don't doubt that for a second," Olivia replied.

"The Germans can see every _inch_ of the city," Churchill said. "We're sitting ducks!" He looked to one of the men ordering, "Get those lights out before the Germans get here!"

"We've gotta help the Doctor," Amy murmured to Olivia.

"We've gotta help _ourselves_, first," Olivia replied, not looking at her. "If the Germans get here and bomb the city, history could be changed for the worse."

"Thousands will die if don't get those lights out, _now_!" Churchill seethed.

"German bombers sighted over the Channel, Sir," one of the women reported. "ETA ten minutes."

"Here they come," Churchill groaned as Olivia's gaze darted to him and he stepped closer to the map hanging on the wall, ordering, "Get a message to Mr. Atlie: War cabinet meeting at oh three hundred hours."

"If we're all still here," Olivia blurted.

"We can't just _sit_ here," Amy insisted, making Olivia look to her as she glanced between them. "We have to take the fight to the Daleks!"

"How?" Churchill wondered. "None of our weapons are a match for theirs."

"We must have _something_," Amy hoped.

"We do," Olivia chimed in and Amy met her gaze with widened eyes as she realized it at the same time. "Staring us right in the face. Gift wrapped in a white coat."

"Paisley," Amy smirked.

Olivia turned and shot out of the room, Amy right behind her, with Churchill hurrying after them. When they reached the lab, they heard the sound of a click and saw Bracewell holding a gun, ready to use it.

"Bracewell," Churchill called. "Put the gun down!"

"My life is a lie," he said. "And I choose to end it."

"In your own time, Paisley Boy, because right now, we _really_ need your help," Amy replied, stepping in front of him for his attention.

"But those creatures…" he began. "_My_ Ironsides…_they_ made _me_? I can remember things…so many things! The last war…the squalor and the mud…and the awful, _awful_ misery! What am I?! What _am _I?!"

"What you are, Sir is either on _our_ side, or _theirs_," Churchill explained, making Bracewell look to him. "Now I don't give a damn if you're a _machine_, Bracewell. Are you a _man_?"

"Professor," Olivia called, stepping toward him to kneel next to him as he looked to her. "I get it. I really do." Amy took advantage of his distraction and slid the gun from Bracewell's hand to set it aside as Olivia continued, "There's a spaceship up there lighting up London like a Christmas tree right now. Thousands of people will die tonight if we don't stop it. _You_ are the only one who can help us."

"I am?" he frowned in wonder and Olivia nodded with a smile.

"You're alien technology," Amy chimed in as Olivia stood. "You're as clever as the Daleks are, so start thinking!"

"What about rockets?" Olivia took up. "Maybe I can help you put something together? You said something about hyper-sonic flight. We could make some sort of missile."

"This isn't a _fireworks_ party, Miss Felton!" Churchill argued. "We need proper tactical—!"

"Wait!" Olivia cut in again, gripping Amy's hand and making her stare at her with wide eyes, but Olivia only stared at Bracewell. "Gravity bubble! You said something else about a gravity bubble that could sustain life _outside_ the terrestrial atmosphere!" She looked to Churchill with wide eyes, grinning, "We could send something _else_ up there!"

"It's _theoretically_ possible to send something into space," Bracewell replied, taking one of his notebooks and handing it to her and she took it, still grinning.

"I'll help you," she assured him, slapping the notebook on the desk and leaning in front of him, grinning to him, "Time to think _big_, Eddie."

* * *

_Later..._

Amy paced next to Churchill as they stood in the control room again, waiting for Bracewell and Olivia. The room shook when a bomb fell on London just as Olivia rolled in a chair, Bracewell hurrying after her, some kind of machine on the chair.

"At last!" Churchill cheered as they wheeled up. "Are they ready?"

"I hope so," Bracewell replied as Olivia pulled the Silver Sonic from one of her pockets.

"This should pick up Dalek transmissions," Olivia explained, aiming the Sonic at it and the screen to static but Bracewell quickly adjusted it so they got a picture.

The picture showed the Doctor standing in front of a very tall Dalek and Amy grinned, gripping Olivia's arm excitedly, cheering, "It's him! It's the Doctor!"

"He's got company," Olivia noticed, breathlessly. "_New_ company."

"We've gotta hurry up," Amy warned Churchill.

A green phone on the table rang and Bracewell lifted it to speak into it before hanging it up, saying, "Ready when you are, Prime Minister."

"Ready!" Churchill confirmed.

"Dalek ship's exact coordinates locked in," Olivia reported, using the Sonic on it again.

"Go to it!" Churchill ordered one of his men who hurriedly picked up a headset and spoke into it.

"Broad Sword to Danny Boy, Broad Sword to Danny Boy! Scramble! Scramble! Scramble!"

"Go back to the transmission!" Olivia ordered Bracewell, and he obeyed as she stared at the screen to see the Doctor facing the new Daleks.

"_The question is…what do we do now?_" the Doctor began. "_Either you turn off your clever machine or I blow you and your new paradigm into eternity!_"

"_And yourself_," the Dalek warned.

"_Occupational hazard!_" the Doctor shot back.

"No!" Olivia shouted at the screen.

"_Scan reveals nothing_," one of the other new Daleks in the room reported. "_TARDIS self-destruct device non-existent_."

Olivia watched the Doctor bite into something in his hand with a frown before bowing her head in exasperation when he shouted, "_Alright! It's a Jammy Dodger! But I was promised tea!_"

"That man is such an _idiot_ sometimes," Olivia sighed, lifting her head to see the Daleks panicking.

"_Alert!_" the Dalek called. "_Unidentified projectile approaching!_"

"That'll be our Danny Boy," Amy smirked.

"_Winston you beauty!_" they heard the Doctor over the radio this time, making Olivia grin as the screen changed to radar. "_Loud and clear, Danny Boy! Big dish! Size of a ship! Blow it up!_"

"Get out of there, Doctor," Olivia ground out.

"You heard him, Captain!" Churchill told the man with the headphones. "Send in all we've got!"

Olivia ignored the reports they gave, or Churchill's orders afterward as she stared at the screen, anxiously.

"Direct hit, Sir!" someone reported, making everyone cheer and Amy hugged Olivia, but it was short-lived when the man reported, "Danny Boy is withdrawing!"

Olivia frowned but said nothing as Churchill questioned him, and Amy let go of her. No one noticed when she ran out of the room and back toward the closet the TARDIS had been in just in time to have it materialize in front of her, the Doctor rushing out of the door and running toward her.

"Theta!" she grinned, running toward him and throwing her arms around him, but her swung her to the side, gripping her arms and making her frown. "What—?!"

"No time!" he cut in, grabbing her hand and dragging her with him out the door. "Where's Bracewell?!"

"Control room, with everyone else!" Olivia replied as they ran down the hall. "Theta, what happened?!"

He didn't answer as they entered the room and he let go of her hand to run toward Bracewell, punching him in the face and sending him to the ground as everyone in the room.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted incredulously as she came up next to him, Olivia on the other side of him and he shook his hand, shouting in pain from hitting the metal Bracewell was made of so hard.

"Sorry Professor! You're a bomb! An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb!" the Doctor explained.

"He's a _what_?!" Olivia shrieked.

"There's an oblivion continuum trapped inside you," the Doctor explained. "A captured warm hole that can provide perpetual power. Detonate that and the Earth could bleed through into another dimension."

He knelt down next to Bracewell and pulled his shirt open, pulling the Sonic from his jacket pocket and aiming it over the professor. Bracewell's chest separated in panels to show the metal he was made of and a four-sectioned circle in blue as Olivia knelt next to Bracewell, opposite the Doctor as he ran the Sonic over him.

"Well?" she questioned, taking the professor's hand as he looked around in fright and the Doctor snapped the Sonic up to see the results.

"I dunno. I dunno. I dunno," he replied, staring at the Sonic before scanning him again. "Never seen one up close before."

"Oh, _that's_ reassuring," Olivia ground out.

"So, what?! They wired him up to detonate?!" Amy questioned.

"Oh, no, no," the Doctor explained, using his hands to gesture. "They haven't just wired him. He is a bomb. Walking, talking _plow_, exploding, the _moment_ that flashes red."

"_Not_, helping him, Doctor," Olivia ground out, seeing Bracewell's despair.

"There's a blue wire you have to cut, isn't there?!" Amy tried, making the Doctor stand to look at her. "There's always a blue wire…or a red one."

"You're not helping," the Doctor blurted before he started pacing.

"He talked to us about his memories about the last war, Doctor," Olivia reported as he faced her.

"Someone else's stolen thoughts planted in a positronic brain," the Doctor explained before kneeling next to him again and Olivia looked to Bracewell in wide-eyed realization.

"Tell us about the rest of your life, Professor," she urged.

"Olivia, I really don't think this is the time for memories," Bracewell shuddered.

"Tell us," the Doctor tried. "I'll _prove_ you're human. Tell me everything."

He began telling them about the family business as Olivia kept her eyes on the circle on his chest. One of the sections was already red and the one next to it was yellow. She glanced at the Doctor, realizing he was trying to get to something else and he finally asked about his parents.

"Good people," Bracewell replied. "Kind people. They died of Scarlet Fever."

"What was that like," the Doctor questioned. "How did it _feel_?"

"Oh, it hurt," he shuddered, making Olivia grip his hand a little tighter as she glanced at the Doctor. "It hurt, Doctor. It hurt so badly. Like a wound…it was _worse_ than a wound. It felt like I'd been emptied out and there was nothing left."

"Remember it _now_, Edwin," the Doctor urged. "The Ashe trees by the post office and your mom and dad and _losing_ them, and the men in the trenches you saw dying. _Remember_ it!"

"Doctor," Olivia shuddered, tears starting in her eyes, but he ignored her.

"Feel it! You feel it because you're _human_. You're _not_ like them. You're _not_ like the Daleks!"

"It hurts so much!" Bracewell sobbed.

"Doctor, please…" Olivia breathed, a tear rolling down her cheek, but she was still ignored.

"Good! Good!" he urged to Bracewell. "Brilliant! Embrace it! That means you're alive! They cannot explode that bomb because you're a human being of flesh and blood! They _cannot_ explode that bomb! Believe it! You are Professor Edwin Bracewell and you, my friend, are a human being!"

"Doctor, it's not stopping," Olivia shuddered, making him look to her then to Bracewell's chest. "It's not even slowing down."

"It's not working," the Doctor noticed then looked up at Olivia with wide eyes. "I can't stop it."

Olivia looked to Amy as she knelt next to her and smiled at Bracewell as he turned his gaze to her as well.

"Hey…Paisley," she whispered. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?"

"What?" Bracewell frowned in wonder at her and Olivia slowly smiled at her before looking back at him.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Amy asked, glancing to the Doctor as he stared at her. "But kind of a _good_ hurt."

"It's slowing down," Olivia whispered to Amy who nodded to her.

"Well…" Bracewell murmured. "I _really_ shouldn't talk about her."

"Ooh…" Olivia smirked, helping out with Amy's plan. "There's a _her_?"

"What was her name?" the Doctor asked as one of the sections of red on his chest turned blue again.

"Dorabella," Bracewell replied.

"Dorabella?" the Doctor grinned. "It's a lovely name. I _beautiful_ name."

"What was she like, Edwin?" Amy asked.

"She would smile…" he began, smiling dreamily. "And her eyes shone. Violet…like the last touch of sunlight at the edge of the world. Dorabella."

"It's completely reversed," Olivia grinned, glancing to the Doctor before looking down at Bracewell to smile, "Welcome to the human race!"

The Doctor grinned before looking to Churchill and pointing at him, saying, "You're brilliant…" He looked to Bracewell, "_You're_ brilliant…" He gripped one of Olivia's hands from Bracewell's to pull her close and kiss her cheek whispering, "_You're_ brilliant!" He looked to Amy, adding, "And _you_…!"

He trailed off and had no words other than brilliant so he pulled her forward to kiss her forehead before shooting to his feet.

"Now, gotta stop them!" he announced, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her to her feet and around Bracewell to head toward the hallway again. "Gotta stop the Daleks!"

"Wait! Doctor!" Bracewell called, stopping them both and they looked to him as he sat up, saying, "It's too late. They're gone."

"No!" the Doctor roared, making Olivia look to him with wide eyes. "_No_! They can't! They can't have got away from me _again_!"

"No, I can feel it," Bracewell replied, straightening his glasses. "My mind is clear. The Daleks are gone."

All eyes shot to the Doctor as he leaned on a pillar and Amy approached him, taking his arm to assure him, "Doctor, it's ok! You did it! You stopped the bomb!"

"Doctor?" Olivia murmured when he didn't respond.

"I had a choice," he murmured, looking to Olivia. "They knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks…have won. They beat me."

"But you saved the Earth," Amy pointed out with a smile. "Not too shabby, is it?"

Olivia watched carefully as he glanced between everyone then looked back at her. All she could do was give a small smile as she stared back at him before he looked to Amy and gave a smile himself, shoving off the pillar to stand tall and wrap an arm around Olivia's waist to pull her close.

"No," he smiled. "It's not _too_ shabby."

"It's a brilliant day indeed, my friend," Churchill grinned, pulling something from his jacket to hand to the Doctor. "Here…have a cigar."

"No," he declined, pulling Olivia a little closer.

She gave a slight frown when she felt his fingers digging into her waist and looked up at him in wonder. That's when she realized he was putting on a brave face. This adventure had shaken him but she said nothing as she only lifted a hand behind him and soothing rubbed it over his back, leaning her head on his shoulder.

* * *

_Morning..._

"So," Amy chirped as she stood with Churchill in the control room, Olivia with her. "What now, then?"

"I still have a war to run, Miss Pond," he replied before a woman came up next to him to hand him a piece of paper, which he took. "They hit the palace _and_ St Paul's again. Fire crews _just_ saved it."

Olivia looked across the table to see one of the women crying and asked, "Is she ok? She's crying."

"Her young man didn't make it I'm afraid," Churchill explained. "Just got word. Shot down over the channel."

"That poor girl," Amy breathed, and Olivia nodded in agreement before Amy asked her, "Where's the Doctor?"

"Tying up loose ends!" he called, entering the room and having heard her with his keen hearing. He stepped next to Olivia to pull her by her waist again and kiss her temple, making her smile before he explained, "I've taken out all the alien tech Bracewell put in."

"Won't you reconsider, Doctor?" Churchill pleaded as the Doctor lifted a cup of tea from the table. "Those spitfires would _win_ me the war in twenty-four hours!"

"Exactly," the Doctor smirked, taking a sip from his cup.

"But why not?" Churchill tried again. "Why can't we put an _end_ to all this misery?!"

"Oh, it doesn't work like that, Winston," the Doctor reminded him, handing his cup to Olivia and she took a small sip before setting it down as he continued, "It's gonna be tough. There're terrible days to come. The darkest days, but you can do it. You _know_ you can."

"Stay with us," Churchill offered. "Help us win through. The worlds _needs_ you."

"No, the world doesn't need me," the Doctor smiled.

"It doesn't?" Olivia frowned, as did everyone else and he looked back at her with a frown as well.

"Of course not, Liv!" he chirped. "The world's got Winston Spencer Churchill."

The four smiled as the Doctor looked back to Churchill and gave him the peace sign, making them all laugh.

"It's been a pleasure, Doctor…as always," he grinned and the two hugged. "Goodbye, Doctor."

"Oh, shall we say adieu?" the Doctor replied, both stepping away.

"Indeed," he agreed before turning to Amy and shaking her hand. "Goodbye, Miss Pond."

"It's been…amazing, meeting you," Amy smiled, brightly.

"I'm sure it has," he replied, making her laugh before she placed a kiss to his cheek and he turned to Olivia to hug her with one arm. "And Miss Felton, I'm counting on you to take care of this man."

"Oh, believe me, I try," Olivia smiled as he patted her shoulder. "It's not always so easy, as you can imagine."

"I most certainly can," he replied before letting her go to walk away, but he was stopped.

"Oi, Churchill!" Olivia called, making him turn and she held her hand out, smirking, "I'll have my TARDIS key back, thank you."

"Oh, she's good, Doctor," Churchill laughed, stepping back to her and setting her key on its chain in her hand as she smiled back at him. "As sharp as pin. Almost as sharp as me."

She pulled the chain around her neck instead of putting in her outside jacket pocket where he'd taken it from as Churchill walked away, glancing around before discreetly slipping the key under her shirt, but the Doctor noticed and turned his head to get a glimpse of her chest. Olivia looked to him with a frown and he quickly looked away, but he'd been caught, making her smirk and glance around again before lowering her hand behind him to pinch his rear. The Doctor jumped with a yelp, making Olivia smirk, devilishly and Amy frowned at him.

"Doctor?" she frowned. "You alright?"

"Fine," he chirped. "Fine? _Better_ than fine! Have to get to the lab now! Talk to Bracewell a bit. Come along, Pond!"

He turned and threw his arm around Olivia's neck to lead her out of the room and pull her close as she giggled to whisper in her ear, "You're going to pay for that when we get to the TARDIS. Consider that a _promise_."

"You're all talk, lover," she smirked in a murmur, not wanting Amy to hear as she caught up.

"We'll see who's all talk when I get you in that special room I had the TARDIS whip up for us," he whispered before nipping at her ear and she stared wide eyes at him when he pulled away as they reached the lab to see Bracewell standing at one of the tables, his back to the door.

"I've been expecting you, Doctor," he said, hearing the three walk in, and making them all frown at each other. "I knew this moment had to come."

"Moment?" the Doctor echoed, stepping up next to him with Olivia still under on his arm as Amy stopped behind him.

"It's time to deactivate me," Bracewell assumed, turning to them.

"Is it? Oh…" the Doctor realized. "Yeah."

"You have no choice," Bracewell assumed. "I'm Dalek technology. You can't allow me to go puttering around down here, where I have no business."

"No," the Doctor seemingly agreed. "You're terribly right, professor. A hundred percent right, and by the time we get back here in, what? Ten…minutes?"

"More like fifteen," Amy corrected.

"Fifteen minutes, yeah. That's exactly what I'm gonna do," the Doctor nodded. "You are gonna be…_so_ deactivated. It's gonna be like you've never even been…activated."

"Fifteen?" Bracewell wanted to be sure.

"More like twenty, if I'm being honest," the Doctor replied. "Once Olivia and Pond and I have seen to that thing we've got to see to… The thing… See?"

"Very well, Doctor," the Professor nodded. "Then I shall wait here and…prepare myself."

"That Dalek tech, bit slow on the uptake," Amy muttered.

"You know, I think that thing we've gotta do is actually gonna take more like a half hour, isn't it, Doctor?" Olivia chimed in.

"_Easily_," the Doctor agreed, hoping Bracewell would get it this time. "So no running off, that's what I'm saying. Don't go try to find that little post office with the Ashe trees or that girl. What was her name?"

"Dorabella?" Bracewell wondered.

"Dorabella," the Doctor repeated. "You have _no_ account going out and looking for her."

"You can get a lot done in half an hour, though," Olivia smiled and it finally seemed to sink in to Bracewell's mind what they were trying to say and they all laughed when they knew he'd gotten it.

"Thank you, Doctor," Bracewell grinned and he nodded back.

"Come on, girls," the Doctor smiled, pulling Olivia by the hand out of the lab and back toward the closet where he'd parked the TARDIS.

"So, you've got enemies then?" Amy began as they approached the blue box, the Doctor pulling out his key to unlock the door.

"Everyone's got enemies," he replied, stopping next to the door and looking to her as she approached.

"Yeah, but _you've_ got, you know, _arch_ enemies," she replied, turning to lean back on the door next to him as he leaned back on his door and Olivia leaned sideways on his shoulder.

"I suppose so," the Doctor mused.

"And here's me thinkin' we've just been running through time, being daft and fixing stuff," Amy confessed. "But no…it's dangerous."

"Pretty much," Olivia nodded. "Very."

"Is that a problem?" the Doctor asked Amy and she looked back at him.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" she retorted, making the three smile to each other before the Doctor wrapped an arm around Olivia to look down at her and her smile fell, slowly.

"You're worried about the Daleks," she noticed and he gave a small sigh before hugging her close and placing a kiss on her head.

"I'm always worried about the Daleks," he admitted.

"It'll take time though, won't it?" Amy guessed. "I mean, there's still not many of them. They'll need a while to build themselves up."

The Doctor lowered his arm from around Olivia to turn and unlock the door before looking back at her to reply, "It's not just that, there's something else. Something we've forgotten, or rather _you_ have."

"Me?" she wondered, standing to face them both.

"You didn't know them, Amy," Olivia explained. "You'd never seen them before and you _should_ have."

"You should," the Doctor agreed before turning to head into the TARDIS, Amy and Olivia right behind him, but as they shut the door and the TARDIS dematerialized, none of them noticed the crack in the wall behind the blue box, still glowing.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia hummed as she strolled through one of the halls of the TARDIS to head for hers and the Doctor's room. When she found the door she leaned next to it and knocked, calling, "Doctor? Amy's in the wardrobe, and she's nagging to see a planet this time."

She frowned when there was no response and tried calling again, "Doctor?"

Her heart skipped when she heard a roar or anger and a crash. She gripped the knob, but it was locked, so she pulled out her Sonic and used it on the door. When it unlocked she rushed in, ready for anything. The Doctor whirled around to look at her from the center of the room, glass and books and unidentifiable things scattered across the floor.

"Theta, what happened here?" she breathed, tucking the Sonic away and shutting the door behind her as he turned his back to her.

"I'm fine, Liv," he lied, scratching at the back of his head. "Tell Amy we'll be heading for a planet soon."

"I _knew_ you were putting on a brave face back at the cabinet," Olivia sighed, carefully navigating through the mess to reach for his arm. She slowly turned him toward her and his blank expression met her concerned one. "This is about the Daleks, isn't it? You can't hide things from me, Theta, remember?"

He nodded reluctantly before looking away from her, lowering his hand from his head. Without a word he slid his arms around her and she hugged him tightly as he pulled her close, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"They always come back, Liv," he breathed. "They always come back, and one or two always survive, no matter what I do."

"I know," she breathed, lifting her hands to run them through his hair, soothingly. "I hate it, too. You know I do."

"I'm so sorry, Olivia," he murmured. "You're terrified of them, and you've fallen in love with the man they follow."

"Don't be an idiot," she smiled, pulling away enough to look him in the eye, her hands still in his hair. "You know you're worth it."

That made him give a slight smile as he scoffed before she pulled him toward her, her lips meeting his in a tender, comforting kiss. He hugged her close, savoring her comforting touch before they pulled away again and she snuggled her head to his chest.

"I know it's hard, but try not to worry about when we'll see them again," she suggested. "Just think about where we'll go next, ok?"

"Yes, Princess," he smiled, hugging her once more, making her giggle before he pulled away to take her hand and pull her toward the door. "Come on. I have to dole out your punishment for that little pinch you gave me earlier, first."

"Ooh! Does that mean I get to see this new room you were talking about?" she grinned, devilishly and he smirked down at her as he pulled her down the hallway.

"I have one word for you," he smirked, stopping in the middle of the hall and pulling her close by her waist and whispering into her ear, "Geronimo."

* * *

**A/N:** couldn't resist that bit of Geronimo at the end. reviews?


	12. A Few Spoilers

**A/N:** been getting a lot of readers saying they're in suspense to see Olivia meet River...wait no longer. The Time of Angels & Flesh and Stone episodes have arrived! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 12: A Few Spoilers**_

"Wrong," the Doctor blurted, walking past a glass display table, Amy and Olivia trailing behind him through the stone halls. "Wrong. _Bit_ right…_mostly_ wrong. I _love _museums!"

"Yeah, great," Amy muttered following him around the display cases in the huge room then asked, "Can we go to a planet now? Big spaceship…Churchill's bunker. You promised me a planet next!"

"Amy, this isn't any old asteroid," the Doctor replied, winding around the cases and looking into each one before gripping Olivia's hand to drag her with him as she stopped at one he passed. "This is the Delirium Archive. The final resting place of the Headless Monks. The _biggest_ museum _ever_."

"You've got a _Time Machine_," Amy pointed out, still following the couple. "What do you need museums for?"

"_Wrong_!" he shouted, pointing at one of the cases, making Olivia frown up at him. "_Very_ wrong! Ooh! One of mine! _Also_ one of mine."

"Oh…I get it," Olivia hummed as he pulled her toward a case and she looked back at Amy to grin, "It's how he keeps score."

When he stopped she looked back at him, but he only stared at the contents of the case they were standing next to, making her frown and look to it as well. She leaned over the glass to look at the lone, rusted box inside with writing she'd never seen on the top of it, and she frowned when it wouldn't translate. The Doctor let go of her hand and stood on one end of the long glass case to lean on its lid and stare at the thing as Olivia stepped next to him and Amy came rushing toward them to look at it from the opposite end.

"Oh, great," Amy muttered. "An old box."

"It's from one of the old starliners," the Doctor explained. "It's a home box."

"What's a home box?" Amy wondered as Olivia just stared at it, willing the text to translate for her.

"Like a black box on a plane except it homes," he replied. "Anything happens to the ship the home box flies home with all the flight data."

"So?" Amy wondered in boredom.

"The writing," he explained. "The graffiti…old-time Gallifreyan. The lost language of the Time Lords."

"Serious?" Olivia breathed through an awe-filled smile and he looked back at her with a grin and sparkling eyes. "_That's_ Gallifreyan?!"

"I know!" he grinned. "Isn't it fab?"

"But…if it's Gallifreyan…the TARDIS matrix should be translating it for me, but I can't read it," she explained.

"The TARDIS wouldn't translate Gallifreyan, not even for you, Liv," the Doctor replied. "There were days…there were _many_ days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires and topple _gods_."

"What does it say?" Amy demanded, making him look to her and Olivia frowned when she read something in his gaze at Amy.

"Hello sweetie," he replied, making both girls frown at him in wonder and confusion.

"What?" Olivia blurted, and her frown deepened when she saw him look around the display case for something.

"What are you lookin' for?" Amy questioned, stepping back to head around the case and stand next to him.

"The off switch for the security alarm," he replied.

"What?!" Olivia demanded, staring at him with wide eyes as he stood and looked over the case.

"Oh, well," he sighed with a shrug. "I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way."

He pulled out the Sonic and aimed it at the glass shattering it and setting off the alarm. He brushed away the glass from the top of the box and pulled it out to hand it to Olivia as she stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Hold this for me while we run," he requested, gripping her shoulders and turning her toward the TARDIS.

"_What_?!" she shrieked as he pushed her toward the blue box, the three running toward it and through the door as two security guards chased after them.

Once inside the Doctor turned and took the box from Olivia's hands as she still stared at him and he pressed a kiss to her cheek before smiling, "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome?" she frowned before hurrying after him when he ran toward the console, Amy right beside them as he hooked the box up to the console.

"Why are we doin' this?" Amy wondered as the Doctor worked.

"Someone on a spaceship twelve thousand years ago is trying to attract my attention," he replied. "Let's see if we can get the security playback working."

He pulled the lever in front of the box down once it was hooked up and the three looked to the screen above the console. The screen filled with static before the black and white picture came up of a woman right in front of the camera. She looked like she was done up for a party, retro style sunglasses over her eyes as she looked up and down the hall before looking to the camera. She lowered the sunglasses and winked to the camera before turning to head down the hall.

"Who's that?" Olivia frowned as the Doctor adjusted something on the box and the screen went dark before it showed a different time frame, the woman standing with her back to the camera. "Doctor?"

"_The party's over, Doctor Song_," someone off camera said, making Olivia's eyes widen at the screen, her heart racing as the woman turned toward the camera. "_Yet still, you're on board_."

"_Sorry, Allister_," she replied as Olivia didn't fail to notice how gorgeous she was, even in black and white, her sunglasses now off. "_I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? __Any__ of you? Because I'll tell you something…this ship won't reach its destination_."

"_Wait till she runs_," the man off screen spoke to someone else. "_Don't make it look like an execution_."

"_Triple seven five slash three four nine by ten_," she said, looking to her watch then fluffed her hair as she continued, "_zero twelve slash acorn. Oh and I could do with an air corridor_."

"What's that?" Amy asked as she gripped the bar under the screen with one hand, Olivia holding onto it as well with one hand and both stared at the screen as the Doctor rushed around the console. "What did she say?"

"Coordinates!" the Doctor cheered, ringing a bell on the console, and Olivia swallowed as she still stared at the screen.

"_Like I said on the dance floor…_" River told the man off screen. "_You might want to find something to hang on to_."

She blew a kiss to the screen and Olivia looked to the Doctor as he cheered before running to the door and opening it. She quickly ran after him, Amy right behind her, but screamed shortly in surprise and stepped back when the Doctor tumbled to the floor…the woman from the playback on top of him.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned.

"River," the Doctor greeted.

"River," Olivia groaned, softly.

The two stood and stared out the door at the ship that took off quickly.

"Follow that ship," River ordered.

Without a second's hesitation they both shut the door and ran toward the console, Olivia and Amy right behind them. River slid off her outrageously high heels and hooked them on the bar under the computer screen as the Doctor and Olivia rushed around the console. Olivia found herself struggling to keep up with him, not knowing exactly where they were going and still reeling from River's appearance.

"They've gone into warp drive. We're losing them! Stay close!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor shot back, the TARDIS jostling them about.

"Use the stabilizers!" River ordered, making Olivia frown up at her but she turned back to the console.

"It doesn't _have_ stabilizers!" he argued and they both watched her grab something on the console to operate it.

"The blue switches!" River explained.

"The blue ones don't do anything! They're just…blue!"

"Yes, they're _blue_! They're the _blue_ stabilizers!"

Olivia watched with wide eyes as River reached in front of him and pressed the blue button, making the TARDIS stop jostling

"See?" River smiled, holding her hands on either side in presentation before turning to head back to the computer.

"Yeah," the Doctor chirped as Amy walked around the console to stand next to him, Olivia remaining on one side of the console. "Well, it's just _boring_ now, isn't it? They're _boringers_! They're _blue_…boringers!"

"Doctor? How come she can fly the TARDIS?" Amy murmured to him.

"You call that 'flying the TARDIS'?! Ha!" he snapped back, not bothering to be quiet as he stepped around the console and was about to sit in the chair next to it when he saw Olivia at the console, unmoving from her spot as she leaned on its edge. He glanced to River before stepping up next to Olivia who didn't look up at him as he leaned next to her and murmured, "Liv…are you alright?"

She said nothing for a moment and he leaned his head to try to catch her gaze but she moved her head slightly so he wouldn't see her face. She lifted a hand from the console and whipped her cheeks quickly, making him lift his head in realization when he heard her sniffle before finally turning a weak smile to him.

"Of course I'm alright," she smiled, weakly and unconvincingly then shrugged, "Why wouldn't I be?"

He glanced to River again before leaning toward Olivia's ear and whispering, "I'm not letting her drag us into anything. As soon as we drop her off, we'll head off somewhere else. Maybe make that visit to Aaron before he leaves?"

"Don't ditch her for _my_ sake, Theta," she murmured as he pulled back to look at her. "I'll have to get used to this at _some_ point. We knew this was gonna happen."

"I don't like seeing you like this, Liv," he whispered, lifting a hand to brush a tear that escaped her eye from her cheek. "This is why…"

"I know," she smiled a bit more convincingly when he trailed off, taking his hand in hers to lower it between them. "I'll be fine…really."

"Ok…" River sighed from her side of the console, making Olivia let go of his hand and turn back to the console as well, but he didn't take his eyes off of her. "I've mapped the probability vectors, done a full back up of temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination and…" She hit one last button, making the TARDIS give a low dong as she smiled, "…parked us right alongside."

"_Parked_ us?" the Doctor echoed, finally looking away from Olivia to head around her and toward River, but as he passed he ran a hand over her shoulders, down her arm and smoothed it over her hand where it sat on the console. She couldn't help but smile as quickly turned her hand and gripped his to let him pull her with him toward River. "We haven't _landed_."

"Of course we've landed," River replied, holding onto the bar under the screen to pull it toward him as he stopped next to her, Amy coming up next to Olivia. "I just landed her."

"But…it didn't make the noise," he noticed.

"What noise?" River wondered, looking from the screen to him.

She glanced briefly at Olivia as the Doctor tried to imitate the noise the TARDIS made in flight then rolled her eyes before explaining, "It's not supposed to make that noise. _You_ leave the brakes on."

Olivia couldn't help but give a burst of laughter and quickly covered her mouth to smother it, but the Doctor looked to her with wide eyes as River smirked at her.

"I'm sorry…Doctor," she snickered, almost calling him something endearing but not knowing how River would react if she did. "It's just…that's funny."

"Yeah…well," he sputtered, glancing between the women around him before finally blurting, "It's a brilliant noise. I _love_ that noise." He nearly glared at River before saying, "Come along, girls. Let's have a look."

He turned to head toward the door, gripping Olivia's hand tightly and making her frown at his back before she caught up with him and smiled, "I like that noise, too."

He smiled back at her before they both stopped and turned back to the console when River called out to them, still looking at the screen, "No! Wait! Environment checks!"

"Oh! Yes! Sorry! Quite right. Environment checks…" he replied, and Olivia frowned at him as he pulled her toward the door to open it and look outside before stepping back in and retorting, "Nice out."

"We're somewhere in the Gan Belt," River explained. "There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggests that—"

"We're on Alfava Metraxis," the Doctor cut in. "It's the seventh planet of the Dundra System. Oxygen rich atmosphere, all toxins in the soft band, eleven hour day and…" Olivia frowned at him when he stuck his head out the door then back in to smile down at her, "…chances of rain later."

"He thinks he's so hot when he does that," River shook her head to Amy, making Olivia giggle as the Doctor pulled her back up the stairs.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked River as he pulled Olivia toward the chair next to the console and sat down, quickly kissing her hand before letting it go and she stepped toward the console as well.

"Oh, I had lessons from the _very_ best," River told Amy.

"Well…yeah," the Doctor smirked then frowned watching Olivia cautiously step toward the girls.

"It's a shame you were busy that day," River called to the Doctor before she sensed a presence next to Amy and turned to see Olivia standing with the ginger.

"Olivia?" Amy frowned, noticing the look on her face as the dark-haired girl swallowed. "Are you ok?"

Olivia took in a breath as River frowned in wonder but realization dawned on her when Olivia held her hand to her.

"Hi—" she choked before clearing her throat and resuming, "I'm…Olivia Felton."

River glanced at her hand before laughing, softly, making Olivia frown in wonder as she lowered her hand. She feared the worst. That she was mocking her and it must've meant they weren't getting along.

"You silly girl! Come here!" River smiled, wrapping Olivia into a hug that made Olivia's eyes shoot wide, and she was afraid to hug her in return. Either not noticing or choosing to ignore it, River hugged Olivia tightly before pushing her at arms length to look her over. "I always loved this look."

Olivia frowned in wonder before River turned to grab her heels and turn to head toward the door, smiling, "Right then…why did they land here?"

Amy frowned at Olivia but tapped her shoulder to bring her out of her shocked trance. Olivia shook her shock away and turned as Amy followed River but the Doctor remained in his seat as the girls passed.

"They didn't land," the Doctor replied, making Olivia look to him as he stood and took her hand to follow River to the door.

"Sorry?" River called, still walking.

"You should've checked the home box!" he explained as they all reached the door. "It crashed."

He opened the door for River and she stepped out, but before Olivia could head after her he pulled her back and shut the door, turning his back to it and making the girls frown at him.

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned and he looked to her as she silently questioned him with her eyes but he said nothing as he turned back to the console. She followed him with Amy right behind her.

"Explain," Amy demanded as they all reached the console. "Who is that? And how did she do that museum thing?"

"It's a long story and I _don't know_ most of it," he replied, sailing next to Olivia and smiling at her as she watched him carefully and he smirked, "Off we go."

"What are you doing?" she asked as Amy came up next to him.

"Leaving," he replied, still operating the TARDIS. "She's got where _she_ wants to go. Let's go where _we_ want to go."

"Are you basically running away?" Amy teased.

"Yep," the Doctor chirped.

"Why?" Amy demanded.

"Because she's the future…_my_ future."

"And you run away from that," Olivia breathed, recalling how he tried to run away from his regeneration.

He sensed her tone and stilled long enough to look at her and reply, "I can run away from anything I like. Time is not impossible."

"Hang on, is that a planet out there?" Amy questioned and they looked to her.

"Yes," the Doctor replied, irritably. "Of _course_ it's a planet."

"You promised me a planet," Amy reminded him, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Five minutes?"

The Doctor made a face as if he wanted to groan and bared his teeth as he held an irritated finger up at her before grinding out, "Fine. Five minutes."

"Yes!" Amy cheered, giddily before running to the door and Olivia couldn't help but smirk as she remained next to the Doctor as he shifted on his feet in frustration.

"But that's all!" he called to her, quickly grabbing Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the door as well. "Because I'm telling you now, that woman is not _dragging_ me into anything!"

He was about to head out the door when he stopped and looked to Olivia, making her frown up at him. He glanced to the door before looking back at her and lifting a hand to scratch at his head then lowered it to place both his hands on her shoulders.

"Maybe…you should stay here?" he suggested. "Just in case."

"Theta, I'm fine," she smiled genuinely. "She _hugged_ me! That's gotta be good, right?"

"I know, but…" he trailed off for a moment and lifted a hand to press his palm to her cheek, stroking it with his thumb as he continued, "I don't like seeing you upset."

"Amy's out there right now and if we don't go after her, she's gonna wreak havoc," she reminded him and he sighed with a nod.

"Alright, Liv," he smiled, quickly pressing a kiss to her lips before taking her hand again and hurrying out the door.

Olivia's eyes widened when they stepped out and the door shut behind them. The ship was nose first in a huge, ancient-looking structure of stone, parts missing and the ends in flames. The Doctor pulled Olivia toward River as he strolled toward her, Amy next to them as they all stared up at the crash.

"What caused it to crash?" River wondered then guessed, "Not me."

"No…" the Doctor hummed then explained, "The air lock would've sealed seconds after you blew it. According to the home box the warp engine was on a phase shift. No survivors."

"Phase shift would have to be sabotage," River reasoned. "I _did_ warn them."

"About what?" Olivia couldn't help but ask as River looked through her clutch.

"At least the building was empty," River replied, either ignoring or choosing not to answer the question as she pulled a handheld from her clutch, explaining, "Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries."

The Doctor seemed to note that she hadn't answered Olivia's question and still held her hand as he pulled her back to stand next to Amy. Olivia pulled her hand from his grip and looped her arm around his when they stopped and he turned a smile to her before Amy broke the silence as River worked on her handheld.

"Aren't you gonna introduce us?" Amy smiled to the Doctor who gave her a look but Amy returned her own before he sighed in defeat.

"Amy Pond," the Doctor introduced, "Professor River Song."

River gasped, making the three look to her as she looked to him over her shoulder with and smiled, "I'm gonna be a professor some day, am I?"

The Doctor frowned with his eyes closed at the slip and Olivia rubbed his arm reassuringly.

"How exciting!" River grinned before laughing as she turned back to face the temple and called, "Spoilers!"

Olivia couldn't help but giggle as she looked to the Doctor and he smiled at River's back before smiling down at Olivia.

"Who is she and how did she do that?" Amy questioned the Doctor in a whisper and Olivia's arm fell from his as he turned to Amy and held a finger to his lips before walking away and Amy continued to Olivia, "She just left him a note in a museum!"

"Two things guaranteed to show up in a museum," River called, still working on her handheld and not looking at either one of them. "The home box of a category four starliner and sooner or later…" She turned to look at them over her shoulder again, continuing, "…_him_. It's how he keeps score."

"I know!" Amy laughed as she hurried to stand with River.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" River smiled to Amy and the girls shared a laugh before they both stopped when the Doctor and Olivia came up behind them, the Doctor laughing mockingly.

"I'm nobody's taxi service," he began at Amy before pointing at River. "I'm not gonna be there to _catch_ you every time you feel like _jumping_ out of a spaceship!"

"And you are _so_ wrong," River smirked before the Doctor turned to pace behind the girls. "There's _one_ survivor. There's a _thing_ in the belly of that ship that can't _ever die_."

The Doctor looked to River and Olivia noticed the gleam in his eye before River nodded to him and she glanced between the girls, saying, "_Now_ he's listening."

She placed the handheld to her ear like a phone to speak into it as she stepped ahead, telling the people on the other end to home in on her signal as Amy and Olivia stepped back toward the Doctor, standing on either side of him as River turned back to them, holding up her device to get his attention.

"Doctor?" she called. "Can you Sonic me?! I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon!"

The Doctor pulled out the Sonic and held it with two hands, aiming it at her for a moment before he lowered it again and she gaze cute curtsey for a thank you before turning back to working on it.

"Ooh! Doctor…you _soniced_ her!" Amy teased.

"Shut it, Amy," Olivia muttered, making the Doctor frown at her incredulously.

"What's wrong? I thought everything was fine now," the Doctor asked her.

"You said you wouldn't let her drag you into anything," she pointed out.

"She _hasn't_," he argued.

"Yes, she _has_," she shot back, glaring up at him. "A thing that can never die? You're _so_ dragged into it. There's no way we're leaving now."

"Does it matter?" he wondered, irritably.

"It does to _me_. Because as long as I've known you _I've_ never been able to change your mind _once_, and all of a sudden, _she_ says Immortal Creature and we're staying!"

"I never said we were staying!"

"You had that look in your eyes. We're staying."

"We have a minute," River called. "Shall we?"

"Shall you what?" Olivia muttered as the Doctor took her hand and pulled her toward River, Amy following. "Find out more about what she can do and _I_ can't?"

"Stop it, Liv," he scolded as they reached her and River flipped through a blue journal in her hands.

"Where are we up to?" River asked, flipping through the book and Olivia instantly realized what it was. He'd told her about it.

"What's the book?" Amy asked, stepping closer to River as the Doctor turned his back to River, Olivia in front of him as he still held tight to her hand.

"Stay away from it," he called to Amy.

"What is it though?" Amy asked, looking back at him.

"Her diary," he replied.

"_Our_ diary," River corrected, still flipping.

"Her past my…future," he explained, looking to Olivia and she met his gaze, not failing to notice he still held her hand and was now stroking his thumb over her knuckles. "Time travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

A sound caught their attention and they all turned to see five whirlwinds in a contained area in a circle. When the winds died five men in fatigues with huge guns stood in their places and headed toward the four.

"You promised me an _army_, Doctor Song," one of the men chided as he stopped in front of them, and the Doctor stepped next to her, pulling Olivia with him.

"No," she corrected. "I promised you the _equivalent_ of an army. This is the Doctor."

When the man looked to him with wide eyes the Doctor gave an awkward salute, making Olivia frown at him with a strange smile but she said nothing as the man held out a hand for the Doctor to shake introducing himself.

"Father Octavian, Sir," he nodded making Olivia's frown deepen at him. "Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

"Doctor?" River called, taking her cue. "What do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

The Doctor instantly turned his gaze to her as Olivia stared wide eyes at her, Amy frowning in wonder.

"Not again…" Olivia breathed, turning all eyes to her as she started backing away, shaking her head and the Doctor frowned at her. "Not those again. I can't."

The Doctor glanced to River before stepping closer to Olivia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to march toward the TARDIS, throwing over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a moment."

"I'm sorry, Theta, I can't—"

"I know," he nodded in understanding, not noticing that they were being followed. "It's too much for you, between River and now this. You just stay in the TARDIS, and I'll send Amy in too. This is too dangerous for either one of you."

"You're gonna help them?" she guessed as they reached the TARDIS.

"Well, they wanted me here," he noticed. "I can't very well say 'no' _now_."

"Doctor?"

They both spun around to see River standing behind them, her book in her hand.

"Let me talk to Olivia, please?" she requested. He looked to Olivia for her permission to leave them and she nodded, hesitantly before he slowly strolled back toward the group as River stepped loser to Olivia. "I understand what's troubling you. It's _me_. You're worried I'm taking your place."

"No," Olivia shook her head. "That's not—"

"Yes, it is," River cut in gently, taking one of Olivia's hands and lifting it, making the other girl frown but her eyes widened when River placed the book in her hands. "I know that's what's bothering you, because _you_ told me. _This_ will set your mind at ease."

Olivia swallowed, staring at the book with wide eyes, her heart racing in panic as her hand shook with uncertainty. She held the Doctor's future in her hand. She could find out, right then and there everything he'd go through and find out if she was there beside him.

"This isn't _just_ the Doctor's future in here," River explained when Olivia didn't move. "It's his _and_ your future. Everything the three of us ever did together since I met you two. I'm not your replacement, Olivia. I'm our friend, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Olivia took in her words and straightened, handing the book back to River and making her frown in wonder, but Olivia looked her straight in the eye with a small smile.

"I don't need it," she explained with a shake of her head. "You just told me what I _really_ wanted to know. _My_ future, with the Doctor, is in there, too. That's all I wanted to know was whether or not I had a future with him after you, whatever it was. _Any_ future will do as long as I'm by his side. So you keep your secrets, River. Every girl needs them."

"So you're alright then?" River hoped through a smile. "Ready for another adventure?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Olivia nodded hugely before throwing her arms around River who returned the hug with a laugh. "Thank you, River. You don't know what this means to me."

"Oh, I do," River replied as they pulled away and Olivia couldn't help but notice the Doctor in the distance stop dead in his tracks when he was heading back for them with Amy. "Believe me, Mrs. Sigma, I know too well."

"Mrs. Sigma?" Olivia frowned in utter confusion and River gave a pained face as she tapped her head before shrugging to Olivia apologetically and she smiled, knowingly, "Ah, lemme guess…spoilers?"

"Yup," River winced and Olivia laughed as the Doctor marched toward the girls, Amy in tow.

"Amy's staying in the TARDIS," he explained, stopping next to them.

"No I'm not," Amy retorted with an 'as if' sort of face.

"_Yes_, you are," he argued.

"Well, then she's staying by herself, because I'm gonna help you guys fight the Weeping Angels," Olivia smiled, stepping up next to the Doctor as he stared at her in surprise and she looped her arm around his, smiling up at him. "I've made them crumble before, I think I can do it again."

"You never told me that story!" River grinned, stepping next to Olivia and doing the same to her free arm as Olivia had to the Doctor's. "What better time than now?"

"I'm sure we have time for a story," Olivia nodded in agreement as the Doctor glanced between them in uncertainty.

"I'm…not sure I like this," the Doctor admitted, making all three girls laugh.

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**A/N:** all i have to say from now on is...reviews?


	13. An Image of an Angel

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 13: An Image of an Angel**_

Night had fallen as the clerics set up a camp at the base of the cliff where the ship had crashed. Olivia stayed close to the Doctor as Amy followed them, the three following Father Octavian as he explained what they knew so far.

"The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship," he explained. "Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it. We can't get through up top. We'd be too close to the drives." He stopped them at a crate set up with a number of things on its surface to show the Doctor River's handheld and explain, "According to this, behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the face of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber then work our way up."

"Oh, good," the Doctor blurted, staring ahead, making the three around him frown at him in wonder.

"Good, Sir?" Octavian questioned and the Doctor looked to him.

"Catacombs," he explained. "Probably dark ones. _Dark_ catacombs…great."

"No need to be snide, dear," Olivia chided, catching his tone easily.

"Technically, I think it's called a Maze of the Dead," Octavian replied, ignoring his tone.

"You can stop any time you like," the Doctor retorted, looking back to the cliff face as someone called Octavian away and he excused himself before the Doctor pulled out the Sonic, using it to examine the things in front of him.

"You're letting people call you 'Sir'," Amy noticed, watching him as Olivia lifted something as well and examined it. "You never do that."

"She's right, ya know?" Olivia added as neither her nor the Doctor looked away from their investigating, even as Amy turned to sit herself up on the crate being used as a table beside the Doctor.

"So whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?" Amy guessed and Olivia glanced at the Doctor but said nothing.

"Now that's interesting," he murmured about something he was examining before looking to Amy. "You're still here. Which part of 'Wait in the TARDIS till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing?"

Amy made a pouting face and groaned, "Oh…are you all Mister Grumpy-face today?"

"A Weeping Angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced, and right now one of them is trapped in that wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch and _assuming_ I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the ship doesn't explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day. That's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

Olivia stared at the Doctor with wide eyes, amazed he'd gotten all of that out in one breath before she looked to Amy, who was staring ahead at something when she asked her question.

"Is River Song your wife?" she asked, finally looking at him and the two jumped when Olivia dropped something, loudly before picking it back up again and setting it down, hoping no one noticed. The Doctor sighed before looking back up at the cliff face as Amy continued, "Cause she's from your future…and the way she talks to you, I've never seen anyone do that. She's kinda like, ya know…'Heel boy'."

"Yet something _else_ she does that I don't, apparently," Olivia muttered, looking over something before quickly losing interest and setting it down again.

"It's different with you two, though," Amy explained, drawing the other woman's attention to her. "You two are more like the best mates that live together. River's more like…the Dominatrix."

"The _what_?!" the Doctor yelped, but Olivia nodded along in agreement as Amy looked back to the Doctor to tease him some more.

"She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? She gonna be your wife one day?"

Olivia looked to the Doctor as he only stared at Amy for a moment before blurting, "Yes. You're right…I am _definitely_ Mister Grumpy-face today."

Both girls smiled, but Olivia's smile was for a different reason than Amy's. She now knew she would be the one he would confide in, and maybe that was her role in the future when he finally knew who River was and married her. She could live with that, as long as she was with him.

"Doctor!" they heard River call, and Olivia and Amy looked to one of the trailers to see her waving at them, now wearing fatigues as the Doctor bowed his head with a sigh. "Doctor?"

"Oops," Amy snickered. "Her, indoors?"

"Father Octavian," River called as well before ducking back inside and Octavian made his way toward the trailer as the Doctor, Amy and Olivia followed.

"Why do they call him 'Father'?" Olivia asked, quickly taking the Doctor's hand as they headed up a ramp toward the trailer.

"He's their Bishop, they're his clerics," the Doctor explained. "It's the 51st century the church has moved on."

"Hang on," Olivia called, stopping and pulling the Doctor to a stop, making him turn to her with a frown just outside the trailer as Amy passed them to head inside. "Did you just say 51st?"

"No, Olivia Felton, we are _not_ gonna go looking for Jack," he shot back, making her pout and he held a scolding finger at her, adding, "Don't even think it."

She kept up her pout as he turned to pull her into the trailer, meeting River, Father Octavian and Amy as River held a remote toward the TV screen at the end of the trailer. Amy stood with River and Octavian posted himself at the door while the Doctor stepped closer, examining the picture of the Weeping Angel in its name's sake stance, turned slightly away from the camera.

"What do you think?" River asked him as Olivia let go of his hand. He looked to her but she only shook her head and he nodded in understanding, both communicating without words as he turned back to the screen to examine the picture. "It's from the security cameras in the _Byzantium_ Vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I put it on a loop."

"Yup, it's an Angel," the Doctor confirmed. "The hands are covering its face. What do you think, Liv?"

"No argument from me," Olivia replied. "That's an Angel."

"You've encountered the Angels before?" Octavian questioned.

"Oh, once or twice," the Doctor replied, leaning against the side of the computer screen with his arms folded. "But those were scavengers. Barely surviving."

"But it's just a statue," Amy observed.

"It's a statue when you look at it," Olivia explained.

"Where did it come from?" the Doctor questioned River, shifting his position to stand tall again, his arms still folded.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razvahan end of last century," River explained. "It's been in private hands ever since. _Dormant_ all that time."

"There's a difference between dormant and _patient_," the Doctor shot back.

"What's that mean, 'it's a statue when you look at it'?" Amy asked Olivia.

"The Weeping Angels can only move when you're _not_ looking at them," she explained.

"So legend has it," River added, making Olivia turn a burning glare to her at her doubt.

"It's not legend. It's a quantum-lock," the Doctor explained, drawing their attention to him as he reached up to grip a cloth handle above his head but he put too much weight on it and stumbled when it came off, making him look to it curiously before tossing it away, River rolling her eyes at him and Olivia tried very hard to suppress a giggle as he still spoke. "In the sight of any living creature the Angels cease to exist. They're just stone. The _ultimate_ defense mechanism."

"What? Being a stone?" Amy retorted.

"Being stone until you turn your back," Olivia added, making the Doctor look up at her with a wry smile.

"Father Octavian!" he called, heading toward the door of the trailer and down the ramp, Octavian following him. "Let's go over the specs, shall we? The hyper drive would've split open on impact. That whole ship's gonna be flooded with drive-burn radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms, deadly to _almost_ any living thing."

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian hoped.

"_Dinner_ to an Angel," the Doctor corrected, staring up at the cliff face as River followed them out as well. "The longer we leave it there, the stronger it will grow. Who built that temple? Are they still around?"

"The Aplans," River called as if he should know, as she looked over her handheld. "Indigenous life forms. Died out four hundreds years ago."

"Two hundreds years later the planet was terraformed," Octavian explained. "Currently there are six billion human colonies."

"Woo! You lot, you're everywhere," the Doctor smirked. "You're like _rabbits_! I'll never get done saving you."

"Sir, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population—?"

"Oh, there is," the Doctor cut into Octavian's question. "Bad as it gets. Bishop…lock and load."

Olivia and Amy watched from the door as Father Octavian asked one of his men about something and River called for the Doctor, saying she needed him, and he turned to head after her.

"Anybody need _us_?!" Amy called out the door, sarcastically, making Olivia snicker. "Nobody?!"

"It's alright, Amy," Olivia smirked, patting her arm as she stepped back into the trailer. "Looks like we're both pretty useless when Doctor Song's around."

"You're not jealous of her, are you?" Amy teased with a smirk, but frowned when she looked to Olivia.

She was staring at the screen with wide eyes, making Amy look to it as well, and her frown deepened. The Angel on the screen had turned its head from its hands.

"That's not possible," Olivia breathed.

"Maybe there's another clip?" Amy guessed. "Hang on, I'll ask River." Amy stepped down one of the steps calling, "Doctor Song? Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

"No, just the four seconds," River replied, making Olivia shoot wide eyes at Amy as she came back in, before they both looked back at the screen and Olivia gasped, jumping a step back as Amy only stared at it.

The Angel was now facing the camera, its hands completely lowered to its sides.

"Oh…I have a bad feeling about this," Olivia murmured, then glanced at Amy as she stepped closer to the screen. "No, Amy! Don't—"

"But it's just a clip," Amy replied, in breathless awe. "It can't move. It's just a picture."

"Tell that to the _moving_ picture!" Olivia retorted, looking to the back of Amy's head as Amy looked to the four seconds on the screen.

Both girls gasped and jumped back again when they both looked to the screen and the Angel was closer to the camera.

"Ok…time to go," Olivia nodded, backing toward the door and noticing Amy wasn't moving. "_Now_, Amy! We've gotta go!"

Just as she was about to step out, the door shut of its own accord and she looked to it with wide eyes, filled with terror as it sealed. She gripped the wheel and tried to turn it but it wouldn't budge.

"No!" she growled, trying to open it as Amy remained staring at the screen. "Amy! Come help me!"

"Relax," Amy called casually, not looking away from the screen as she picked up the remote and aimed it at the screen. "I'm just gonna turn it off."

Olivia stared at the screen and turned to watch as Amy hit the button, and the screen went dark but a split second later the image came back up. Her eyes widened as she tried twice more to turn off the screen, but it didn't work.

"Amy! Get back!" Olivia growled as Amy set the remote down and stepped right up to the screen.

"But it's just a recording," Amy called back to her. "I'm gonna try unplugging it."

Olivia turned again to struggle with the door as Amy tried to unplug the TV, but just as they both looked back at the screen, the Angel now had a close-up in the camera. Amy gasped and stepped back, hugely and Olivia reached into her jacket pocket as Amy made her way to the door.

"Keep trying to open it," Olivia ordered her and Amy did as she was told this time as Olivia stepped closer to the screen, the Silver Sonic in hand. She aimed it at the TV but her eyes widened when nothing happened and she glanced at the Sonic before realization dawned on her and she breathed, "Deadlocked."

"Doctor!" Amy called as Olivia ran back to the door and tried using the Sonic on the door this time, but it didn't work and when they both realized they were looking away from the screen, they looked at it to see the Angel baring its teeth at the camera. "Doctor!"

"Sonic's not _working_!" Olivia growled. "It's deadlocked! Doctor!"

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, and they both tried the wheel again before looking back at the screen, but now the Angel was standing in the room with them, transparent and blipping. "Doctor! It's in the room!"

"Olivia! Amy!" they heard the Doctor call from the other side of the door. "Are you alright?! What's going on?!"

"Doctor it's coming out of the TV!" Olivia shouted, hitting the metal of the door. "The Angel's here!"

"Do _not_ take your eyes off of it!" he ordered, and they heard him use the Sonic. "Keep looking! It can't move while you're looking! Olivia! Use the Sonic from your end!"

"I can't!" she called as they both stared at the transparent Angel. "It's deadlocked! Everything's deadlocked! It won't work!"

"Can you turn it off?!" he questioned. "The screen. Can you turn it off?!"

"I tried," Amy replied, and Olivia recognized the tremor in her voice.

"Try again! But don't blink!" the Doctor ordered. "You're eyes move fast, but _it_ moves faster! Do _not_ blink!"

"I'm not blinking!" Amy shot back _winking_ one eye at a time. "Have you ever tried not blinking?!"

"I've got my eyes on it, Amy," Olivia assured her. "Just get the remote and turn it off!"

Amy was too terrified to even look away from the Angel as she searched blindly for the remote then backed toward Olivia again and tried turning it off, but the TV switched back on again.

"It just keeps switching back on!" Amy shouted.

"Yeah, it's the Angel!" the Doctor replied.

"But it's just a recording," Amy insisted as Olivia tried the door with her Sonic again, but it still didn't work.

"No! Anything that holds the image of an Angel is an Angel!" the Doctor explained.

"Oh, that's just _great_!" Olivia snapped before tucking the Sonic away, both girls staring at the Angel. "But this doesn't make sense. It _locked_ us in here, so there should be a way to get _out_, other wise _it_ would be trapped here too! There's gotta be a way out of this! There's _always_ a way out!"

"Olivia," Amy called, making the other girl glance at her but she darted her gaze back to the Angel as Amy continued staring at it. "What's it gonna do to us?"

"We won't have to find out when the Doctor gets us out of here," Olivia replied, avoiding the question and trying to give them both hope. "You can look away, Amy, I've got my eyes on it."

"Just tell me," Amy shuddered and Olivia swallowed, harshly. "Tell me!"

"I don't know, Amy," Olivia shot back, finally. "And like I said, we won't find out."

"Olivia! Amy! Not the eyes!" they heard the Doctor call to them. "Look at the Angel but don't look at the eyes."

Olivia immediately averted her gaze to the things teeth, making her heart thump even harder in her chest, but she didn't notice Amy stare right into the eyes before looking away from them to the time on the screen.

"Wait, what did you say?" Amy called, making Olivia frown, but she didn't dare look away from the Angel.

"Don't look at the eyes!" the Doctor replied from outside.

"No, about images!" Amy corrected. "What did you say about images?"

"Whatever holds the image of an Angel _is_ an Angel," River replied from the other side of the door.

"What are you thinking, Amy?" Olivia wondered as she watched her lift the remote again.

"Ok…" Amy murmured before counting to four and she hit a button.

The image went to static and the TV turned off, making both girls sigh in relief. Olivia gave a small shout as the door opened and she nearly fell out but the Doctor caught her and quickly stood her up, he and River running in behind Amy as she stared at the TV before looking to the three when the Doctor ran past her.

"I froze it," she began explaining as he unplugged the TV and used the Sonic on the plug and she sighed, "There was a sort of blip on the tape and I froze it on the blip. It wasn't the image of an Angel anymore. That was good yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good."

"That…was…_amazing_!" Olivia grinned, running toward Amy and hugging her tightly as the Doctor continued examining the screen.

"River, hug them both," the Doctor ordered, not moving from his spot.

"Why?" Amy frowned in wonder as Olivia let her go and frowned at him as well.

"Because I'm busy," he replied as River came up to the girls, and Olivia glared at him before stepping toward him.

"I'm fine," Amy insisted as River took her arms.

"You're _brilliant_," River told the ginger, pointedly to the Doctor.

"Thanks," Amy smiled then used the same tone to say, "Yeah. Kinda _creamed_ it, didn't I?"

"You think you can just dismiss a hug for _me_, like that?" Olivia shot back to the Doctor as he closed and tucked the Sonic away. He couldn't help but smile as he slung his arm around her shoulders and hugged her with one arm as he looked toward Amy and River.

"So it was here," River guessed. "_That_ was the Angel?"

"That was a _projection_ of the Angel," the Doctor corrected. "It's reaching out. Getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant."

An explosion from outside made them all jump and they heard shouting from outside, the Doctor lowered his arm from Olivia's shoulders and leaned out the door of the trailer.

"Doctor!" they heard Octavian call. "We're through!"

"Ok…" the Doctor hummed before looking back at the girls and smirking, "Now it starts."

He jumped down the steps of the trailer, Olivia running after him and gripping his hand before he was out of reach. She pulled him in the opposite direction he needed to go, making him frown at her back but he said nothing as he tried to keep up with her hurried pace. She stopped at the back of the trailer, looked around then pulled him close, throwing her arms around his neck and planting her lips to his.

It was then that he realized what she wanted…what she _needed_. The Doctor could feel her trembling against him as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and felt her heart thumping against his chest to meet his hearts, seeking comfort in his kiss and arms. She slowly pulled away from his lips for breath before lowering her forehead to his shoulder and he hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry," she shuddered. "I held back because River was there and I didn't wanna make a scene, but…"

"I know," he murmured, lifting a hand to smooth it through her hair before rocking her slightly from side to side. "You were frightened. You can still change your mind and wait in the TARDIS for me."

"No," she insisted, lifting her head to shake it. "I'll be fine. I was fine last time, remember?"

The Doctor looked into her eyes as she smiled sweetly at him and he smiled back with a nod.

"Alright," he murmured then warned, "But once we're in there, there's no going back."

"I know," she nodded, still smiling as she took one of his hands. "I'll look out for Amy. Now, Doctor…Allons-y!"

He couldn't help but laugh as she turned to pull him back toward the cliff face in a full run.

* * *

**A/N:** i couldn't resist. reviews?


	14. A Terrible Mistake

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy

* * *

_**Chapter 14: A Terrible Mistake**_

The Doctor climbed after Father Octavian and his clerics down a ladder and into the catacombs, Olivia, Amy and River following after him. He pulled out a torch and looked around as he snapped it on, Olivia hurrying toward him to take his arm in the dark.

"Do we have a Gravity Globe?" he asked Octavian making Olivia frown at him.

"Grav Globe," Octavian called and someone handed the Doctor a white ball with a handle on it, making Olivia's frown turn to it then back to the Doctor.

"What's a Gravity Globe?" she whispered.

"You'll see," he smiled, warmly. "It's brilliant. You'll love it."

"What is this?" Amy called, a torch in her hand as she stayed close to River who had her own torch. "Where are we?"

"It's an Aplan Motarium," River explained as the Doctor handed his torch to Olivia. "Sometimes called a Maze of the Dead."

"What's that?" Amy wondered.

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone – pardon me, Liv," the Doctor replied, stepping ahead of her then taking the ball and punting it straight into the air where it hovered high above them, shining brightly like a star. They both grinned up at it as it revealed structures beautifully carved from the stone of the cliff and statues all around as the Doctor finished, "…the perfect hiding place."

"Guess this makes this a little trickier," Octavian noted as everyone stared in awe before examining their surroundings, still holding onto their torches.

The Doctor scoffed, retorting, "A _bit_, yeah."

"Ok, you were right," Olivia told him, making him frown at her as she latched onto his arm again and she nodded to the Gravity Globe with a smile. "_That_ is brilliant. I love it. I want one."

"Maybe when we get it down later you can have it," he smiled, hugging her arm with his and pressing a kiss to her head as they turned back to examine their surroundings, Olivia still holding onto the torch he'd given her.

"Stone Angel on the loose among stone statues," Octavian observed. "A lot harder than I'd prayed for."

"Needle in a haystack," River murmured.

"An angel that looks like hay," the Doctor corrected. "A hay-like needle…of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of…uh, statues."

Olivia frowned up at the Doctor before he turned to River and admitted, "No, yours was fine."

"Right," Octavian began, irritably then ordered his clerics, "Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection." He looked to the Doctor. "One question: How do we fight it?"

"We _find_ it," the Doctor replied, heading deeper into the chamber, dragging Olivia with him and Amy hurried to follow. "And hope."

"That's not an answer, Theta," she whispered as he took the torch from her hand and aimed it ahead. "I doubt we can pull the same stunt we did last time."

"I dunno, Liv," he admitted in a hushed tone. "We'll figure something out. Why don't you get a head start on it, you clever thing, you?"

"Only if you call me sexy," she smirked and when he turned to her with wide eyes she gave him a wink before he glanced around then leaned close to her ear.

"Think of something clever, you sexy thing, you," he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before turning to head down the trail again, pulling a giggling Olivia after him.

"Well, if you insist, my sexy Time Lord," she smirked.

"Liv! Behave!" he scolded, making her laugh again before she let go of his hand to let him examine a nearby statue, stopping to wait for Amy as she looked up at the structures around them.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Amy breathed.

"Similar, maybe," Olivia smiled, looking around as well before she looked back to Amy. "_Like_ it? Never."

Amy scoffed before looking around again then blinking rapidly, lowering her head to rub her eye with one hand and making Olivia frown at her in wonder.

"What's wrong?" Olivia wondered.

"Nothing…" Amy tried, still rubbing her eye. "Just…something in my eye."

Olivia watched in confusion as Amy rubbed at her eye, pulling her hand down to flick something off her finger. Olivia snickered at her before looking ahead to spot the Doctor examining the statue he stood with.

"Olivia, did you see that?" Amy suddenly questioned, making Olivia turn and frown at her in wonder.

"See what?" she asked as Amy wiped her hand on her red hoodie shirt. "What happened? I missed it."

"Never mind," Amy muttered.

Olivia narrowed her gaze at the ginger in suspicion because she knew she was lying, but her gaze turned to River as she came up to them, her gaze turning to Amy I concern.

"Are you alright?" she hoped, making Amy turn to River.

"Yeah," Amy chirped with a nod. "I'm fine."

River looked to Olivia who only gave a small shrug of uncertainty before River began looking for something in her bag and Amy turned back to the scenery.

"So, what's a Maze of the Dead?" Amy wondered as River pulled something from her bag.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," River assured both girls. "It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls."

Amy turned a frown at her as Olivia only looked to what she now had in her hand and River looked to Amy, correcting, "Ok…that was very bad."

"What is that?" Olivia asked of the thing in her hand as River pulled Amy's arm out and the ginger remained quiet as River lifted a syringe looking thing in her hand.

"This won't hurt a bit," River smiled to Amy before stabbing and injecting her and Amy shouted in pain, almost pulling away, but River held the thing to her arm. "There, you see? I lied. It's a virus stabilizer. Stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn…anything. You're gonna need it when we get up to that ship."

When she pulled back from Amy she reached into her bag for another syringe and stepped toward Olivia who looked to her with a frown.

"Jacket off…roll up your sleeve," River ordered but Olivia shook her head before turning to watch the Doctor as he examined River's handheld computer.

"I'm fine, River, thanks," she murmured and River gave her a blank stare before pulling her jacket off one arm, making Olivia frown at her and struggle. "I said I'm fine! It's not gonna bother me!"

"You're not indestructible, Olivia," River argued, drawing Amy's attention to the scene with a smirk. "You need this. Now hold still."

"River—! _Ow_!"

River held the thing to her arm as it injected her and Amy glanced at the Doctor before looking to River and strolling up to both girls.

"So, what's he like?" she asked River, making her glance to her before she carefully pulled the syringe from Olivia's arm to rub the spot where she'd injected her. "In the future I mean. 'Cause you know him in the future, don't you?"

"The Doctor?" River replied and Olivia looked to her in wonder as she replaced the syringe in her bag then shrugged, "Well, the Doctor's the Doctor."

"Oh," Amy chirped, sarcastically as Olivia smirked, looking to the man they were talking about to see him examine River's handheld and he glanced at them but quickly looked back to the computer. "Well, that's _very_ helpful. Mind if I write that down?"

"Yes we are," Olivia called to the Doctor as she pulled her sleeve back down and her jacket back on, making Amy frown at her but River held her torch up to see him with a smirk of her own.

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor called back, not looking away from the handheld.

"Talking about you," Olivia replied, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I wasn't listening," he lied, and Olivia could tell. "I'm busy."

"Ah," River hummed, skeptically before saying, "The other way up."

The girls watched as he held the thing out with a frown before turning it right side up in his hand then looked to River before he looked back at the thing and mumbled, "Yeah."

"You're _so_ his wife," Amy muttered to River.

"Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy," River smiled still aiming her torch at him as he tucked the handheld into one of his pockets, looking to River before turning to the statue again. "This is the Doctor we're talking about. Do you _really_ think it could be anything that simple?"

They looked to each other and Amy confidently enunciated, "Yup."

River looked at her for a moment before turning the torch up to look at the statues around them, replying, "You're good. I'm not saying you're right. But you are _very_ good."

"Oi! Liv!" the Doctor called, making all three girls shoot wide eyes to him to see him wave her toward him and she hurried toward him as he examined the statues in front of him.

"What's wrong?" she wondered, glancing to the statues.

"Do you…_sense_ anything?" he asked her, making her frown in wonder but he looked at her with a serious glow in his eyes.

"Like what?" she wondered, honestly.

"Just…_anything_," he replied. "Your Spidey-Sense. That shiver of someone walking over your grave. That tingling that sends the hairs on the back of your neck on end. Anything like that?"

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "Why? Are you getting that?"

"A bit, yeah," he hummed out, looking back to the statues. "But why?"

Olivia jumped when the sound of shots fired caught her ear and the Doctor grabbed her hand to run past River and Amy back the way they'd gone through, the other two girls following after them. The shots stopped just as they came back to the open space and the Doctor stopped to stare at and examine the statue at the base of the stairs they'd just gone down, the one the cleric in front of it had fired at. Octavian stepped toward the man as he glanced between the Doctor, the girls and his Bishop.

"I'm sorry," he said, quickly and he was obviously still jumpy. "I thought…I thought it looked at me."

"We know what an Angel looks like," Octavian began. "Is _that_ the Angel?"

"No, Sir," the cleric replied, weakly.

"No, Sir, it is _not_," Octavian shot back, making Olivia want to go up to the Bishop and slap him, military man of God or not. "According to the Doctor we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil. So it would be good…it would be _very_ good if we could all remain calm in the presence of _décor_."

Olivia felt her fists clench at his words. She had been a victim of the Weeping Angels terror before, and she knew it was _more_ than frightening. To hear Octavian berate his man like that just for being afraid made her blood boil, but when she moved to take a step toward him, the Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"What's your name?" he asked the cleric who turned to him with wide eyes.

"Bob, Sir," he replied.

"Oh, that's a _great_ name!" the Doctor smiled, unmoving. "I love Bob."

"It's a sacred name," Octavian explained. "We all have sacred names. They're given to us in the service of the church."

"I feel compelled to point out that the bishop's 'sacred name' is also the name of a Roman dictator that tried to enslave Cleopatra," Olivia muttered, and Amy gave a giggle as River smirked and the Doctor strolled up to the two men.

"Sacred Bob," he smiled, turning to him. "More like _scared_ Bob now, eh?"

Octavian looked to Bob disapprovingly before the cleric nodded and replied, "Yes, Sir."

"Ah, good," the Doctor nodded, patting his arm and making Octavian look to him in surprise as the Doctor met Bob's gaze. "Scared keeps you fast. Anyone who _isn't_ scared in this room is a moron." He looked pointedly at Octavian before patting both their shoulders and murmured, "Carry on."

The Doctor turned back to the girls who had stayed by the statue and Olivia smiled at him as Octavian gave orders to his men.

"Feel better?" she smirked, but frowned when he didn't nod or smile back.

"No," he replied, lifting a hand to the back of his head as he glanced around at the shuffling clerics before looking back to her. "Something's not right. It's right in _front_ of me and I'm not seeing it."

"It'll be fine," Olivia assured him, meeting his gaze as she lifted a hand to move some of his hair from his face. "We've been in worse situations than this and we've gotten out."

He nodded shortly but she could still see doubt in his eyes before they had to head into the maze, the Doctor leading the way with a torch, the girls following him with their own torches.

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just gonna collapse?" Amy wondered as they stopped to stare at a huge part of the maze. "There's a whole ship up there."

"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River reported to her.

"Had dinner with their chief architect once," the Doctor chimed in. "Two heads are better than one."

"You mean you helped him?" Olivia wondered, helping Amy climb up to them.

"Uh, no, I mean he had two heads," the Doctor replied, making her scoff before he asked River, "That book, the very end. What did it say?"

"Hang on," she sighed as Olivia and Amy looked around and River lifted the book from her bag.

"Read it to me," the Doctor requested as River opened it to the page he wanted.

"What if we had ideas that could think for themselves?" River read aloud. "What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The Time of Angels."

"Well, _that's_ not ominous at _all_," Olivia blurted.

"We need to get to that ship," the Doctor muttered before turning and gripping Olivia's hand. "Come on."

She gave a small squeak when he dragged her behind him, River, Amy and Father Octavian following. They wound through the maze to get to the top, and it had been some time before Amy finally spoke up.

"Are we there yet?" she questioned. "It's a hell of a climb."

"The Maze is on six levels, representing the ascent of the soul," River explained. "Only two levels to go."

"Lovely species, the Aplans," the Doctor began, still holding tightly to Olivia's hand as he now followed a couple of clerics, the girls behind him. "We should visit them some time."

"I thought were all dead," Amy recalled as they made their way into a spacious room cluttered with statues.

"So is Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team," the Doctor replied. "Very relaxed. Sort of _cheerful_. Well that's having two heads of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."

"Doctor," River called, stepping next to him as he shined his torch on a statue. "There's something. I dunno what it is—"

"Yeah, there's something wrong," he finished, not looking back at her. "Don't know what it is yet either working on. Course, _then_ they started having laws against self marrying. What was that about? But that's the church for you…" He trailed off when he shined his light on Octavian then turned ahead again and added, "Uh…no offense, Bishop."

"Well, I'll take it if that's alright, Doctor," Octavian replied, stepping ahead of them and Olivia glared at him as the Doctor shined his torch on him walking away and winced. They all followed him into another cavern as he reported, "At this point the wreckage is only about fifty feet up from here…that way."

"The church had a point if you think about it," Amy mused about the Aplan self marrying law. "The divorces must've been messy."

"Oh…" the Doctor groaned, aiming his torch at one of the statues and Olivia frowned at him but when she looked to the statue she remembered where they were, recalled everything they were talking about and her eyes widened when she realized what he just had as well.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked, turning to look at them and Olivia shot her gaze to River behind them as she stared wide eyes at one of the statues as well.

"Oh," River said in a hollow voice as the Doctor looked to River as well and she turned her wide eyes at him.

"Exactly," he replied to her expression.

"How could we not notice that?" River questioned of herself and him as he shot his gaze around them.

"Low level Perception Filter or _maybe_ we're thick?" the Doctor snapped, looking back at the statue.

"What's wrong, Sir?" Octavian asked.

"Nobody move!" the Doctor ordered, just as River was about to head toward him but she stopped on his command. "Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger."

"What danger?" Octavian questioned, glancing around.

"The Aplans," Olivia breathed, drawing his and Amy's attention to her.

"The Aplans?" he questioned.

"They have two heads," she replied. "That's what we've been talking about this whole time."

"Yes, I get that. So?" Octavian shot back.

"So why don't the statues?" the Doctor replied before looking to the place where Octavian and Amy had stopped. "Everyone over…there. Just move. Don't ask questions. Don't speak."

Everyone obeyed as they all stared at the statues, the Doctor stepping to the head of the group of clerics, Amy, River, and Olivia, aiming his torch at one of the statues. All their heads were turned away from the group as the group stared at them.

"Ok…I want you all to switch off your torches," he instructed, making everyone stare wide eyes at him as Olivia came up next to him.

"Theta…" she whispered and he glanced at her but quickly turned back to the statue he aimed his light at.

"Just do it," he said again to the group, calmly.

One by one their torches switched off, except for his and Olivia held onto his arm as she stared ahead at the statue with wide eyes, the room so dark she couldn't see anything else.

"Ok…" he hummed, still not looking away from the statue. "I'm gonna turn this one off too. Just for a moment."

"Are you sure about this?" River asked from the darkness and Olivia swallowed before looking to him as well to see him smirk only slightly.

"No," he murmured.

He switched off his torch for a split second and when he flipped it back on, all the statues had turned to face the group, making Olivia whimper and Amy gasped as everyone flipped their torches on again. The Doctor shot off down the trail they'd been on as Olivia stood frozen, staring at the statues in terror, her heart racing in panic.

"Oh, my God," Amy blurted. "They've moved."

"Doctor!" Olivia suddenly shouted, launching into a run after him, Amy and River darting after her.

"They're Angels," the Doctor called, aiming his torch at one of them kneeling on the ground in their way as the girls caught up. "_All_ of them."

"They can't be," River replied, holding out some hope that it wasn't as bad as it truly was.

"Clerics, keep watching them," the Doctor instructed, inching past the kneeling statue. He ran out of the room and the girls followed. Olivia stopped next to him when he stopped at the edge of a small bridge to aim his torch at two Angels that seemed to be reaching for them and when the girls caught up he reported, "Every statue in this Maze is a Weeping Angel."

"They're coming after us," Olivia breathed, shakily, her body trembling as the four glanced around at each other in uncertainty.

"But there was only one Angel on the ship," River reported as they all met back in the room to keep their eyes on the Angels. "Just the one. I _swear_."

"Could they have been here already?" Amy wondered.

"The Aplans, what happened? How did they die out?" the Doctor asked.

"Nobody knows," River replied.

"_We_ know," Olivia breathed, looking around at the Angels in terror as the Doctor reached for her hand and held it reassuringly.

"They don't look like Angels," Octavian noted.

"And they're not fast," Amy noticed. "You said they were fast. They should've had us by now."

"Look at them," the Doctor instructed, stepping up close to one of them to shine his light on it. "They're dying. Losing their form. They must've been down here for centuries. Starving."

"Losing their image," Amy echoed.

"And their image is their power," the Doctor nodded before standing tall and staring ahead with wide eyes, making Olivia stare at him, realizing he just figured something out. "Power…_Power_!"

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned in wonder as he clapped his hands and started pacing.

"Yeah, don't you see?" he questioned them all. "All that radiation spilling out, the drive burn. The crash of the _Byzantium_ wasn't an accident. It was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an _army_…and it's waking up."

"We need to get out of here _fast_," River ordered, sending Octavian into his communicator.

"Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please," he ordered, but when there was no answer he snapped, "Any of you, come in!"

"_It's Bob, Sir_," Bob's voice finally came back from the communicator. "_Sorry, Sir_."

Olivia frowned in wonder at the sound of his voice. He was far too calm now, when just a few moments ago he'd been terrified.

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" Octavian asked. "All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active."

"_I know, Sir_," Bob replied and it was then that Olivia looked to the Doctor. He looked back into her eyes and he could tell, she thought something was wrong. "_Angelo and Christian are dead, Sir. The statues killed them, Sir_."

The Doctor grabbed the com from Octavian as Olivia hurried up next to him.

"Bob," he said into the com. "Sacred Bob. It's me, the Doctor."

"I'm talking to—"

"Where are you now?" the Doctor asked Bob, interrupting Octavian.

"I'm _talking_ to my—!"

"Bishop…shut up," Olivia cut in this time, drawing Octavian's wide-eyed gaze to her as the Doctor smirked at her as she sighed. "I've been waiting all night to say that."

"_I'm on my way up to you, Sir_," Bob replied to the Doctor's question. "_I'm homing in on your signal_."

"Ah, well done, Bob," the Doctor smiled, making Olivia frown at him. "Scared keeps you fast. Told you, didn't I? Your friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to _them_?"

"_Snapped their necks, Sir_," Bob replied a little too calmly and the Doctor paused in thought.

"See, that's odd," he replied. "That's not how the Angels kill you. They displace you in time. Unless they needed bodies for something."

"Need the bodies…for what?" Olivia breathed, but Octavian snatched his communicator back to speak to Bob.

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs?" he asked, making the Doctor throw a hand up in exasperation. "We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."

"Don't be stupid!" Olivia snapped as the Doctor took the com back again. "The Angels don't leave you _alive_!"

"Bob, keep running, but tell me, how did you escape?" the Doctor asked into the com.

"_I didn't escape, Sir_," he replied, making Olivia's jade eyes shoot wide at the Doctor. "_The Angel killed me, too_."

The group glanced around at each other before the Doctor asked Bob, "What do you mean, the Angel killed you, too?"

"_Snapped my neck, Sir_," Bob replied, making Olivia swallowed as she kept her eye on the Doctor. "_Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something._"

"If you're dead, how can I be talking to you?"

"_You're not talking to me, Sir. The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and reanimated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion_."

The Doctor looked to Olivia as she placed her hands over her mouth, tears welling in her eyes before he turned back to the com and asked, "So when you say you're on your way up to us—"

"_I-It's the Angel that's coming, Sir, yes._"

"No way out," Olivia breathed when the Doctor cut off the com.

"Then we get out through the wreckage," Octavian ordered. "Go!"

"Go, go, go!" the Doctor agreed, waving everyone on. "All of you, run!"

"Doctor?" Amy urged when everyone passed him, including River, but Olivia stayed behind Amy.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he nodded, avoiding her gaze and waving her on. "I'm coming. Just go. Go, go, go!"

Olivia hung back with the Doctor and Father Octavian as the Bishop stepped toward them.

"Yeah, I called you stupid," Olivia sighed to him. "I'm sorry, but there's no way we could've saved your men."

"She's right," the Doctor agreed. "I'm sorry."

"I know that, Sir," Octavian replied, nodding to Olivia, "Ma'am. And when you've both flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."

Octavian turned to head after the group that left as Olivia glared at his back before growling, "I _hate_ that guy!"

"Liv, go with Amy and River," the Doctor ordered, waving her in that direction.

"Funny," she scoffed, making him look to her incredulously.

"Liv—"

"We're in a labyrinth filled with Weeping Angels," she interrupted him. "The safest place for me is right next to you."

The Doctor couldn't help but smile at her before lifting the communicator to ask, "Angel Bob, which Angel am I talking to? The one from the…ship?"

"_Yes, Sir_," Angel Bob replied. "_And the other Angels are still restoring_."

"Ah, so the Angel is not in the wreckage. Thank you!" the Doctor grinned, making Olivia smile broadly at him. "Come on, Liv!"

He grabbed her hand and dragged her behind him as he ran out of the cavern, but she frowned when they saw Amy standing on the small bridge, gripping the rail.

"Don't wait for us," the Doctor ordered her, passing by her. "Go! Run!"

"I can't," she replied, looking to her hand and the Doctor skidded to a stop as Olivia took a step ahead of him but brought herself back so they could both turn to her with wide eyes. They both came back and the Doctor tried to take her hand, but she said, "No, _really_, I can't!"

"Why not?" the Doctor questioned.

"Look at it!" Amy snapped. "Look at my hand! It's stone!"

Olivia frowned at her then at the Doctor as he lifted his torch to Amy's face to look into her eyes, asking, "You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?"

"I couldn't stop myself," Amy admitted. "I tried."

"Amy, listen," Olivia urged, gently. "It's messing with your head. Your hand _isn't_ made of stone."

"It _is_!" Amy insisted. "Look at it!"

"It's in your mind," the Doctor argued, gently. "I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go."

"I can't, ok?" she replied. "I've tried and I can't. It's _stone_."

The torches they were holding flickered, making Olivia shoot wide eyes at the Doctor as he spoke to Amy, "The Angel _is_ gonna come and it's gonna turn these lights off, and then there's nothing I can do to stop it. So do it. Concentrate. Move your hand."

"I can't."

"Then we're all gonna die," Olivia ground out, getting irritated with her.

"The Doctor's not gonna die," Amy shot back to Olivia as the Doctor glanced behind Amy.

"They'll kill the lights," he told Amy, their torches flickering and Olivia held back a gasp when she saw two Angels coming up behind Amy.

"You've both gotta go," Amy insisted. "You know you have. You've got all that stuff with River and that's all gotta happen. You _know_ you can't die here!"

"Time can be rewritten. It doesn't work like that," the Doctor replied, glancing behind her again before he noticed Olivia wasn't taking her eyes off the Angels and looked back at Amy.

The lights flickered, and Olivia let out a small scream when the Angels were crawling closer, reaching for them. Amy turned around and gasped, all three keeping their gazes on the Angels.

"Keep your eyes on it," he instructed both girls. "Don't blink."

"Run!" Amy ordered them both.

"Good idea," he replied, making Olivia frown at him incredulously before it fell when he advised, "Olivia, run. Go back with River and the clerics, where it's safe."

"Yeah, _right_! I'm not leaving either one of you here," Olivia snapped back, turning her gaze back to the Angels.

"See, I'm not going _either_," the Doctor replied. "I'm not leaving _you_ here, Amy."

"I don't need you two to die for me!" Amy shot back, not looking from the Angels. "Do I look that clingy?"

"You can move your hand."

"It's _stone_!"

"It's _not_ stone!" Olivia snapped back at Amy.

"You've gotta go," Amy urged as the lights flickered again. "Those people up there will die without you. If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them."

"Amy Pond, you are magnificent," the Doctor replied, tapping his forehead to her head before adding, "And I'm sorry."

Olivia turned a wide-eyed frown of disbelief at the Doctor, thinking he was going to leave her and Amy thought so as well.

"It's ok," Amy replied, suddenly calm. "I understand. You've got to leave me."

"Oh, no," the Doctor shot back. "I'm not leaving you, never. I'm sorry about _this_."

The Doctor leaned over and lightly bit her hand making her scream and pull it away when she felt his teeth and she gave a disgusted sneer to him as Olivia couldn't help but snicker.

"Ah! See! Not stone!" the Doctor grinned at her, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her behind him. "Now run!"

Amy looked up at him incredulously, saying, "You bit me!"

"Yeah, and you're alive!" the Doctor insisted as she headed toward him and Olivia.

"I've got a mark!" she squeaked, holding her hand toward Olivia to continue, "Look at my hand!"

"Yes, you're _alive_!" the Doctor growled, pulling her behind him to stare at the Angels. "Did I mention?!"

"Blimey! Your teeth!" Amy continued on. "Have you got space teeth?!"

"Amy, alive," Olivia cut in. "All we're saying."

* * *

**A/N:** yeah, i honestly don't like Octavian either. lol. reviews?


	15. A Trap

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 15: A Trap**_

"The Angels are coming," Olivia announced as the Doctor dragged her and Amy into the chamber where the clerics and River were waiting for them under the wreckage.

"And they're draining the power for themselves," the Doctor added, about the flickering lights and Grav Globe.

"Which means we won't be able to see them," Octavian guessed as the lights went off then on again.

"Which means we can't stay here," the Doctor explained just before someone called about two Angels incoming and River stepped toward the Doctor.

"Any suggestions?" she asked him.

"The statues are advancing on all sides," Octavian explained, al of them staring up at the wreckage high above them. "We don't have the climbing equipment to reach the _Byzantium_."

"There's no way up, no way back, no way out," River realized, making Olivia give her blank stare.

"Well, aren't _we_ Miss Optimism?" she blurted, making River look to her with wide eyes as Olivia looked back up at the ship above before stepping toward the Doctor to murmur, "No pressure, darling, but this is about the time you have a _really_ good idea."

"There's always a way out," he murmured, staring ahead and Olivia watched as the wheels in his head began to turn more than usual. It always fascinated her beyond words. He looked to her with a smile and chirped, "There's always a way out!"

"_Doctor?_" they heard Angel Bob call from the communicator. "_Can I speak to the Doctor, please?_"

The Doctor pulled the com from his jacket pocket and spoke into it, asking, "Hello, Angels. What's your problem?"

"_Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, Sir_."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"_There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end._"

"Which is?"

"_I died in fear_."

Olivia looked up at the Doctor, having stepped back with River and Amy and he looked back at her as silence reigned over the conversation before he spoke again. The lights flickered ominously the entire time.

"I'm sorry?"

"_You told me my fear would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down._"

"What are they doing?" Amy murmured to River as all three girls watched him.

"They're trying to make him angry," River replied, keeping her eyes on him, as did Olivia.

"Bad call…" Olivia murmured, "…for _them_."

"_I'm sorry, Sir_," Angel Bob continued. "_The Angels were very keen for you to know that_."

The Doctor gave a silent snarl before speaking low into the com, saying, "Well, then, the Angels have made their _second_ mistake, because I'm not gonna let that pass. I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"_But you're trapped, Sir, and about to die_," Angel Bob replied.

"Yeah, I'm trapped," the Doctor agreed. "And you know what? Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great _big_ mistake in it! A great big, _whopping_ mistake!"

"_What mistake, Sir?_" Angel Bob questioned, but the Doctor didn't reply as he looked to the girls.

"Trust me?" he asked Amy.

"Yeah," she nodded with a small smile and he looked to River.

"Trust me?"

"Always," River replied and the Doctor looked to Octavian.

"You lot, trust me?"

"We have faith, Sir," Octavian nodded and he turned to Olivia lastly, marching right up to her to look into her eyes.

"And _you_," he asked as their eyes locked. "Trust me?"

"I'm offended you're even asking," she smirked, making him give a huge grin before turning to Octavian and holding a hand toward him.

"Give me your gun," he ordered, and Octavian obeyed as all three girls frowned at him but said nothing as he examined the thing then looked to them. "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do…" He jumped before ordering them, "Jump!"

"Jump where?" Octavian asked.

"Just _jump_," the Doctor replied. "High as you can."

"Leap of faith, Bishop," Olivia smirked, stepping next to the Doctor but he ignored her for the moment.

"On my signal," the Doctor ordered.

"What signal?" Octavian wondered.

"You won't miss it," the Doctor replied before lifting the gun to aim at the Grav Globe with his free hand and Olivia noticed the glare in his eyes as he ground his teeth. He was fuming.

"_Sorry, can I ask again?_" Angel Bob called from the com in the Doctor's other hand. "_You mentioned a mistake we've made?_"

"Oh, big, _big_ mistake," the Doctor replied in that low tone, still aiming the gun at the Grav Globe. "_Really_ huge. Didn't anyone ever tell you, there's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value you're continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, _ever_ put in a trap."

"_And what would that be, Sir?_"

"Me."

A shot rang from the gun and the Grav Globe burst into liquid. When Olivia jumped she felt a hand grab onto hers, then a moment of weightlessness before she was suddenly flipped and slammed onto her back onto something metal, making her groan in pain in the darkness. She heard other slams around her before the lights flickered back on and she saw the Doctor leaning over her.

"What the hell just happened?" she groaned, sitting up and looking around as the Doctor grinned at her before planting a kiss on her temple.

"Good," he sighed, hugging her. "You're ok. Now stand up and _look_ up!"

"You ok?" River called to Amy as the Doctor stood in the dim light.

"What happened?" Amy asked as River helped her up, Olivia staring up with wide eyes as she stood on her own.

"We jumped," River explained.

"Jumped where?" Amy questioned, glancing at the metal beneath her feet and the lights in the form of a circle around them.

"Up, up!" the Doctor instructed again. "Look up!"

"Where are we?" Amy asked, looking around in wonder with Olivia and River.

"Exactly where we were," River explained, looking up.

"No we're not," Amy argued as the Doctor came up to the girls.

"Move your feet," he ordered Amy and she stepped away as he knelt down to use the Sonic on a metal circle at their feet, Amy finally looking up in the dim light.

"Doctor, what am I looking at?" Amy demanded. "Explain!"

"Oh, come on, Amy. _Think_!" the Doctor grinned as Olivia stepped next to her, letting the Doctor still work. "The ship crashed with the power still on, yeah? So what _else_ would still be on?"

"The artificial gravity," Olivia grinned up at the Angels below, or above their heads. "One good jump, and up we fell!"

"Shot out the Grav Globe to give us an updraft, and here we are!" the Doctor grinned, still working.

"So much for having a Grav Globe, then," Olivia sighed, making him smirk up at her, noting her playful tone.

"Doctor," Octavian called as they looked up at where they'd been standing before. "The statues, they look more like Angels now."

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage," the Doctor explained. "Draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves. Within an hour they'll be an army."

The circle he'd been working on finally opened, and just as it did, the lights on the ship began blowing out.

"They're taking out the lights," Olivia reported before jumping with a scream of shock when one shot sparks toward her as it blew.

"Look at them," the Doctor instructed the group, pointing up with his Sonic. "Look at the Angels."

The group obeyed as the Doctor sat on the edge of the hole at their feet.

"Into the ship now, quickly! All of you!" he called before jumping in himself.

"But how?" Amy called just as she looked to him to see him jump in. "Doctor!"

She and Olivia knelt down to look into the door to see the Doctor standing with ease…sideways to their vision. It made Olivia giggle.

"It's just a corridor," he assured them. "The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you. Don't take your eyes off the Angels."

"You heard the man!" Olivia called to them. "Move, move, move!"

She dove through the door, but she didn't judge the gravity properly and landed on her back with a painful grunt.

"I just _told_ you how it works, and you land like _that_?" the Doctor joked, gripping her hand and pulling her to her feet as she glared at him. "Come help me with this."

He pulled her toward a control panel and used the Sonic on it before he gestured she do the same when he snapped his open to look at the results. She obeyed as the clerics, Amy, and River climbed into the corridor.

"The Angels," Octavian began. "Presumably they can jump up too?"

"Oh, worse yet, Bishop," Olivia blurted, pulling her Sonic back from the panel and the door shut as she continued, "They can probably fly."

"They're here," the Doctor replied, making her look to him. "Now. In the dark, we're finished."

"Doctor! The other door!" Olivia shouted when they all heard the alarm and he ran toward it, but it shut before anyone could get through.

"This whole place is a death trap!" Octavian shouted, running after them as they stopped at the door with River and Amy.

"No, it's a time bomb," the Doctor corrected as Olivia turned toward the panel next to the door with her Sonic. "Well, it's a death trap _and_ a time bomb. And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic."

Slamming from behind them caught everyone's attention to the closed door and Olivia looked to the Doctor just as he looked to her as well. She gaze was steady and he could tell she holding it together better than anyone at the moment…almost as well as him.

"Just us then," he muttered before Olivia swallowed and turned back to the panel, attempting to open the door as the Doctor asked, "What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck," River replied as the pounding and slamming continued, the lights flickering around them.

"Ok, so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah?" Amy guessed, turning to the Doctor as River open another panel along the wall. "So what if the gravity _fails_?"

"I've thought about that," the Doctor replied.

"Well?" Olivia asked him, having heard the conversation, before growling in frustration and kicking the panel before stepping toward him.

"And we'll all plunge to our deaths," he replied, glancing between the girls. "See? I've thought about it."

"Doctor, I can't get in with the Sonic," Olivia reported, trying to ignore what he'd just said as he felt at the door.

"Ah, the security protocols are still live," he explained, turning to her. "There's no way to override them. It's impossible."

"How impossible?" River questioned, still working on her panel.

"Two minutes," the Doctor replied, making Olivia roll her eyes at him before looking to the now open door they'd just gone through.

The lights flickered again and there was a hum that indicated the ship or something in it was powering down, making Olivia glance around before looking to the Doctor when he stepped ahead of the crowd.

"The hull is breached," Octavian reported, no one else moving. "And the power's failing."

The room went dark and Olivia jumped when a hand clamped onto hers, but when the lights came back on for a moment, she saw Amy's gaze darting around as her hand held hers in a death grip. Olivia stepped next to Amy, neither one letting go of the other's hand as they both stared ahead when an Angel's arm came into view.

"Doctor!" Amy called then demanded, "Lights!"

The Sonic sounded as the lights tried coming back on but left them in more darkness than light, and the two girls gasped when an Angel was leaning through the door. When the lights came halfway on, they found themselves locked in the room with three or four Angels reaching for them.

"Clerics, keep watching them," Octavian ordered his few men.

"And don't look in their eyes," the Doctor instructed as the lights remained steadily on. "Anywhere else, not the eyes. Olivia, come here."

"I can't," Olivia replied, staring at the Angels.

"Oh, not you _too_!" he groaned, loudly. "What? Do you think your feet have turned to stone?!"

"I can't leave Amy, idiot!" she snapped back and the ginger now had a grip on her arm as well as her hand with her other hand, both staring at the Angels.

"I've isolated the lighting grid," he explained. "They can't drain the power now."

"Good work, Doctor," Octavian commended as the Doctor hurried toward the door at their backs, Amy's grip finally loosening slightly on Olivia's arm.

"Yes, good, good, good. Good in many ways," the Doctor replied. "Good you like it so far."

"So far?!" Amy shrieked as he headed toward the panel Olivia had tried to work on, letting go of Olivia's arm completely so that they both followed him.

"Well, there's only one way to open this door," he explained, opening the panel to pull the wires out and work on them. "I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good, fine, do it," Octavian approved then ordered as the Doctor paced ahead again and Octavian followed him.

"Including the lights," he added, making all eyes shoot to him. "All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights."

"How long for?" Octavian asked.

"Fraction of a second, maybe longer," the Doctor explained. "Maybe quite a _bit_ longer."

"Maybe?" Octavian echoed in exasperation.

"Well, I'm guessing," the Doctor admitted before turning back to head toward the door to use the Sonic on it again. "We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship – there isn't a _manual_ for this!"

"Doctor, we lost the flashlights. We'll be in _pitch black _dark!" Olivia reported.

"No other way!" he replied, turning back to Octavian to wait for his approval.

"Doctor Song," Octavian called and she finally turned from the panel she'd been working on. "I've lost good clerics today. You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him," River replied without hesitation, looking straight at him.

"He's not some kind of madman, then?" Octavian asked her, and Olivia couldn't help but give a small snicker that went unheard, thankfully.

"I absolutely trust him," River shot back, keeping her gaze on Octavian.

The Doctor excused himself before heading toward the door again and Olivia frowned when she noticed Octavian and River have a private, quiet conversation that River was _not _happy about. It piqued her interest but she turned back to the Doctor, waiting for instructions as he used the Sonic on the door again. He handed her something which she held until he needed it again.

"Ok, Doctor," Octavian called, stepping from River. "We've got your back."

"Bless you, Bishop," the Doctor replied as he worked on the wheel attached to the door that would open it, holding his hand up for the thing Olivia was holding and she handed it to him, quickly. She ignored what Octavian said to his men, guessing they were being given orders.

"Amy, Olivia, when the lights go down, the wheel should release," the Doctor told them both. "Amy, spin it clockwise, four turns."

"Ten," Amy replied, making both Olivia and the Doctor frown at her.

"No, Amy," Olivia explained, beating the Doctor to it. "_Four_ turns."

"Yeah, four, I heard him," Amy frowned at her as the Doctor turned to the panel of wires, Olivia following him.

"What do you need me to do?" Olivia asked him as he looked over the panel.

"Make sure everyone gets through before me. No arguing. Just do it."

She only nodded before standing with Amy and looking ahead at the Angels, swallowing hard as her heart thumped in her ears. The Doctor called that he was ready, shoving the Sonic into the panel and the hum sounded with another hum that the power was running. The lights went down and shots fired, ricocheting off the Angels as the muzzle flash lit them up every few seconds.

Olivia ran to the other end of the door as the Doctor shouted at Amy to turn, and when the door opened she felt River pass, then Amy as the Doctor shouted at the clerics to fall back. She saw them all go by her before she was shoved through the small gap and the Doctor followed her, grabbing her hand and running to the other end of the fully lit hall to the next door. This door opened with only the use of the Sonic, opening the door and Olivia made sure everyone else made it through the door.

"Doctor, come on," Olivia urged as he still held the Sonic at the panel and when he didn't respond or move she shouted, "Doctor!"

"Go, Liv! I'm right behind you!" he assured her and she hurried through the door, reluctantly but sighed in relief when he _did_ follow and they rounded the control panel in the center of the room they found themselves in, River already there and Amy following.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted in warning when the wheel on the door began turning from the other side, the Angels trying to get in. She and Olivia frowned when Father Octavian pulled something from his belt and attached it to the door, making Amy ask, "What are you doing?"

"Magnetized the door," he replied, confidently. "Nothing could turn that wheel now."

Olivia looked to the Doctor for reassurance, but he glanced to Octavian from the panel with a smirk and she realized it wouldn't do a thing against the Angels. As if on cue, the wheel started slowly turning, making Olivia, Octavian and Amy look to it with wide eyes.

"Dear, God!" Octavian breathed.

"_Now_ you're gettin' it!" the Doctor grinned, sarcastically before turning to another part of the console. "You've bought us some time, though, that's good. I am good with time."

Another door was magnetized by another cleric when the wheel turned.

"We're surrounded," River observed, trying to help him at the panel as Olivia decided to help as well, another door wheel turning, and Octavian ordered it be sealed.

"Doctor, how long do we have?" Olivia asked, but he didn't look at her.

"Five minutes, max," he replied.

"Nine," Amy blurted, making him frown at her.

"Five," he repeated before turning back to the panel.

"Five, right, yeah," Amy replied as Olivia frowned between the two.

"Why'd you say nine?" he asked.

"I didn't," she replied, obliviously but Olivia stared at her with wide eyes. It was the second time she'd done it.

"Olivia!" the Doctor called to her and she hurried to his side, opposite Amy and he murmured, "There's something wrong. Keep an eye on her."

Olivia nodded before rushing to the other side of Amy to do what he'd told her.

"We need another way out of here," River said.

"There isn't one," Octavian replied.

"Yeah, there is," the Doctor argued, turning to pace outside the console. "Course there is. This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So what do they need?"

He turned to River and Olivia frowned when she stood from the panel and she gasped, "Of course."

"Of course, _what_?" Olivia questioned as he stood with a wall behind him, snapping his fingers and pointing to River, making Olivia's jealousy steadily start to mount.

"What do they need?" Amy asked, looking confused.

"Can we get in there?" Octavian questioned, making the Doctor look behind him as Olivia looked around in absolute disbelief. What was this thing that everyone seemed to know about except her and Amy? It was really starting to irritate how much she _didn't_ know.

"Well," the Doctor sighed. "It's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow." He shoved himself against the wall to feel around it. "This whole wall should slide up." He looked down and cheered, "There's clamps! Release the clamps! Olivia! Come help me! Need your Sonic!"

She hurried toward him as he shoved the boxes in front of the clamps out of the way and they leaned down to use theirs Sonics on the clamps at the same time.

"What's through there?" Amy asked, watching them. "What do they need?"

"They need to breathe," River explained from her panel, making the ginger look at her in wonder just as the Doctor and Olivia finished with the clamps. The couple stepped back, tucking their Sonics away to watch the door rise and Amy stared wide eyes at what was beyond it.

"But that's…" Amy trailed off as the door still rose, words escaping her at the moment. "That's a…"

"It's an oxygen factory," River explained.

"It's a forest," Amy blurted.

"Yeah, it's a forest," River nodded. "It's an oxygen factory."

"A forest is _nature's_ oxygen factory," Olivia smirked.

"And if we're lucky, an escape route," the Doctor added.

Amy scoffed as Olivia strolled up next to her just as she blurted, "Eight."

"What did you say?" River questioned, making Olivia look to Amy with wide eyes as the Doctor only turned his head, catching it but not saying anything.

"Nothing," Amy replied, still oblivious, making Olivia frown at her.

"Is there another exit?" the Doctor called to the clerics. "Scan the architecture. We don't have time to get lost in there."

"On it!" Octavian called, rushing in to the forest. "Stay where you are until I've checked the Rad levels."

"But trees?" Amy questioned, heading toward the Doctor with Olivia next to her. "On a spaceship?!"

"Oh, more than trees," he grinned, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her into the forest to the nearest tree. "_Way_ better than trees. You're gonna _love_ this. You, too, Liv. This is brilliant. Tree-_borgs_!"

He stopped next to a tree and pulled the bark away from a part of the tree and Olivia grinned as she gazed at the white light inside surrounded by fiber optics.

"Trees…plus technology," she grinned before looking back at the Doctor. "That _is_ brilliant!"

"Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull," the Doctor explained, looking around in wide-eyed excitement. "A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air." He turned back to Olivia and grinned, "It even _rains_! There's a whole mini-climate! This vault is an ecopod running right through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze. Have I impressed you yet?"

"You _always_ impress me," she murmured through a sweet smile, lifting a hand to his bow tie to touch it admirably. "If we didn't have an audience I'd _show_ you how impressed I am."

"Liv," he hummed, unable to help the smile that adorned his lips. "Be_have_."

She giggled when he pressed a kiss to her cheek before taking her hand and dragging her toward Amy to ask, "What about _you_? Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?"

She grinned then laughed, "Seven."

"Seven?" Olivia echoed in a breath as the Doctor headed toward Amy, Olivia right behind him and the ginger frowned between them.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked, obliviously as the Doctor stepped right in front of her, Olivia next to her.

"You said seven," he told her, making her frown deepen between them.

"No, I didn't," Amy argued.

"Yes, you did," River vouched, drawing Amy's attention to her.

"Doctor," Octavian called. "There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the primary flight deck."

The Doctor stared into Amy's eyes as he called, "Good. That's where we need to go."

"Plotting a safe path now," Octavian assured him.

"Quick as you like," the Doctor called back.

"_Doctor?_" Angel Bob's voice came from the communicator he still had. "_Excuse me. Hello, Doctor? A-Angel Bob here, Sir_."

The Doctor reached into his jacket to pull out the com, stepping toward the control chair. Amy followed him to lean on the panel next to him, the Doctor pulling Olivia with him and yanking her toward him as he sat to sit her on his knee, making her giggle.

"Ah," the Doctor hummed into the com. "There you are, Angel Bob. How's life? Sorry…bad subject."

Olivia couldn't help but giggle as he held his arm around her waist to keep her on his knee.

"_The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve_," Angel Bob replied.

"Achieve? We're not achieving anything. We're just hangin'. It's nice in here. Consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"

"_The Angels are feasting, Sir. Soon we'll be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world and all the stars and worlds beyond._"

"Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?"

"_We have no need of comfy chairs._"

"I made him say 'comfy chairs'."

Amy laughed again before blurting, "Six."

Olivia and the Doctor shot to their feet and Olivia turned to Amy as the Doctor only took a few steps forward as River looked to Amy as well.

"Ok, Bob, enough chat," the Doctor snapped. "Here's what I wanna know. What have you done to Amy?"

"_There's something in her eye_."

"What's in her eye?"

"_We are_."

"What's he talkin' about?" Amy asked Olivia who stepped closer to her to look into her eyes. "Olivia, I'm five."

The Doctor turned to march toward the girls and look at Amy as well as she glanced between the two. Amy looked between them and River, noticing the looks in their eyes and tried to correct herself.

"I mean…five," she tried again, her eyes widening before trying once more. "_Fine_. I'm fine."

"You're counting," River noted, drawing Amy's eyes to her.

"Counting?" she echoed.

"You're counting down from ten," Olivia murmured, drawing Amy's attention to her and the Doctor.

"You have been for a couple minutes," the Doctor added.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"What's she counting down _to_?" Olivia asked, looking to the Doctor.

"I don't know," he admitted again.

"_We shall take her_," Angel Bob said from the com. "_We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space._"

The Doctor slumped back into the chair and this time Olivia stayed next to Amy, holding her hand and rubbing her arm, reassuringly.

"Get a life, Bob," the Doctor quipped. "Oops! Sorry, again. There's power on this ship but nowhere _near_ that much."

"_With respect, Sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand_."

A deafening and terrifying screeching sound surrounded them, making everyone look around in terror.

"What the hell is that?!" Olivia called above the sound in fright.

"Dear, God, what _is_ it?!" River demanded.

"_It's hard to put it in your words, Doctor Song_," Angel Bob replied. "_But as best as I understand it, the Angels are laughing._"

"Laughing?" the Doctor questioned into the com.

"_Because you haven't noticed yet, Sir. The Doctor in the TARDIS hasn't noticed._"

"Doctor—"

"No! Wait!" the Doctor cut into Octavian's call as he stood from the chair and stepped ahead. "There's something I've…" He sensed something behind him and slowly turned to look up at the wall behind him, finishing off, "…missed."

Everyone's eyes turned to the huge, shining crack in the wall as the Doctor shot around the console to stare at it closer, Amy and Olivia following him.

"That's…That's like the crack from my bedroom wall when I was a little girl," Amy observed and in fact, it was _exactly_ like it. The room shook violently around them, making the three stumble.

"Ok, enough!" Octavian called heading toward the forest. "We're moving out!"

"Agreed," River called. "Doctor?"

"Yeah! Fine!" he agreed before standing up on a box and pulling the Sonic from his jacket.

"What are you doing?!" Olivia demanded, watching him aim the Sonic at the crack.

"Right with you!" he assured her, but didn't move.

"We're not leaving you!" River called, reading Olivia's mind.

"Oh, yes, you are," he called back as the room still shook.

"Miss Pond, Doctor Song, Miss Felton, now!" Octavian shouted.

"Doctor, come on!" Amy shouted as she and River turned to run out but Olivia remained at the box he was standing on, staring up at him.

"Go, Olivia!" he shouted, still using the Sonic on the crack.

"_No_!" she shouted, pounding her hand on the thing she leaned on. "I'm _not_ leaving you!"

"Olivia! Come on!" River shouted, seemingly right behind her.

"I'm not leaving him!" she repeated.

"We don't have time for this!" she suddenly heard Octavian snarl behind her before she felt herself being lifted around the waist and dragged away from the Doctor.

"_No_!" she screamed, kicking her legs as Octavian dragged her toward the forest and pounding her fists into his arm. "Let me go! I can't leave him! Doctor! _Doctor_!"

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	16. A Light of Forgetfulness

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 16: A Light of Forgetfulness**_

"Let me go, you pious bastard!" Olivia snarled, kicking and punching his arm to make Octavian let her go as he dragged her into a clearing with the rest of the group.

He finally stopped and roughly shoved her onto her feet, making her stumble away from him before she turned a burning glare to him and charged at him with a roar of rage. She was intercepted by River when she stepped between the two, gripping Olivia's raised wrists when she tried to strangle the Bishop.

"Olivia! Stop!" River urged, struggling against the girl's strength. "He's trying to help us! He was just doing what the Doctor told us to! You can't strangle the man trying to get us out of here!"

Olivia growled, shoving her hands sideways, making River lose her grip on her wrists, but Olivia was still fuming with a burning fire in her jade eyes.

"_No_!" she growled, looking River in the eye. "The _Doctor_ is the one trying to get us out of here and we might've just left him for _dead_! That's not helping!"

"Getting _yourself_ killed isn't going to help either!" River snapped as Olivia glared at her, gritting her teeth. "And you know full well the Doctor will get out of it! He gets out of _everything_!"

Olivia continued glaring at her before her peripheral vision caught Amy swaying on her feet and her glare instantly dropped, drawing River's attention to Amy as well.

"Amy?" Olivia called, both of them hurrying toward her, River holding onto Amy's arms as Olivia looked her over. She looked ready to puke.

"Amy, what's wrong?" River questioned her.

"Four," Amy blurted, making Olivia's eyes widen at her.

"Sit her down," she instructed, guiding Amy to sit on the rock they were gathered around and when Amy clutched at her head, she gently ordered, "Lie down, Amy."

"Med-scanner, now!" River ordered one of the clerics as Amy curled up in the fetal position on the rock, Olivia kneeling at her head and brushing her hair from her face, stroking the red locks soothingly.

River sat at her feet on the rock with the med-scanner as Octavian called, "Doctor Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving."

Olivia turned a glare to him as River busied herself with putting the blood pressure cuff on Amy's arm.

"We _wait_ for the Doctor," Olivia snapped at him, drawing his attention to her in the form of a glare that she met with her own.

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels," he ground out at her as he approached them. "Until that is achieved—"

"Father Octavian," River snapped, still strapping the cuff to Amy's arm. "When the Doctor's in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home."

"Not an _easy_ mission," Olivia chimed in, glaring at Octavian, but it was River that spoke for them both as she stood tall to look at Octavian.

"Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself, and if he's _alive_, I'll never forgive _him_," she shot back. "And Doctor, you're standing _right _behind me, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah."

Olivia shot her gaze up in the direction of his voice, and her face lit up with a grin as River turned to look at him.

"I _hate_ you," River smirked.

"You don't," the Doctor smirked back.

"Doctor!" Olivia shouted, scrambling to her feet and rushing toward him. He grunted when she landed against his chest, throwing her arms around his neck to pull him close as he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her in turn. "I'm so glad you're safe." She pulled back with a frown and looked him over before meeting his gaze to ask, "Where's your jacket?"

"Who needs a jacket when I _run_ to keep warm?" he smirked, avoiding the question and she opened her mouth to reply, but he was heading toward the group. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest."

He rushed toward Amy, Olivia right behind him as Octavian gave orders to his men and the Doctor knelt at her head, Olivia next to him.

"How did you get past them?" River questioned with wide eyes.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe," he replied, casually.

"What was it?" Amy asked, weakly as she still lay on the rock.

"The end of the universe," he replied, taking the monitor in River's hand to look at it. "Let's have a look, then."

"So what's wrong with me?" Amy wondered as Olivia gently stroked her cheek and hair to sooth her.

"Nothing, you're fine," River replied, and just then the monitor in the Doctor's hand beeped wildly.

"Everything, you're dying," he blurted.

"Doctor!" River chided, incredulously as she shot wide eyes at him in disbelief.

"Right, 'cause if we _lie_ to her she'll magically get better!" Olivia snapped at River.

The Doctor tossed the monitor away saying, "Amy, Amy, Amy, what's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye…"

"But what does that _mean_?" Olivia asked him. "Does it mean _anything_?"

"Doctor," Amy groaned.

"Busy," he replied.

"Scared!" she shot back, desperately.

"Course you're scared," he retorted. "You're dying. Shut up!"

"That's going a little _far_ now, Doctor!" Olivia snapped before looking back at Amy to murmur, "He needs to think."

"What happened?" the Doctor recalled, standing to pace near them. "She stared at the Angel, she looked into the _eyes_ of an Angel for too long…"

River looked over Amy as Olivia looked up at the Doctor to watch him pace and ruffle his hair in thought, ignoring the calls of the clerics that the Angels were moving in.

"Come on," he groaned at himself. "Come _on_! Wakey, wakey! She watched an Angel climb out of the screen, she stared at the Angel and…and…"

"The Image of an Angel _is_ an Angel," Amy replied, weakly.

"A living mental image in a living human mind," the Doctor continued, coming back to them to kneel near Amy's head again. "We stare at them to stop them getting closer, we don't even _blink_, and that is _exactly_ what they want, 'cause as long as our eyes are open they can climb inside. There's an Angel _in her mind_!"

He slapped a hand over his mouth, staring down at Amy as Olivia and River stared wide eyes at him in disbelief and terror.

"Three," Amy blurted and the Doctor shot to his feet to reach into one of his pockets on his pants. "Doctor, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm gonna die!"

"Please just shut up," the Doctor blurted. "I'm thinking. Now counting – what's that about?"

The Doctor lifted the com to ask, "Bob, why are they making her count?"

"_To make her afraid, Sir_," Angel Bob replied from the com.

"Ok, but _why_? What for?"

"_For fun, Sir_."

Olivia shot her gaze to him and watched him growl before throwing the com with all his might into the ground, no doubt busting it and she swallowed in fear. They'd made him even _more_ angry now, and things were gonna get bad…for them.

"Doctor, what's happening to me?" Amy asked, weakly. "Explain."

"Inside your head, in the vision centers of you brain, there's an Angel," he explained, stepping toward her again to sit on the rock next to her head. "It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind and the Angel is climbing out of it, and it's coming…to shut you off."

"Then what do I do?" Amy shuddered.

"If it was a _real_ screen, what would we do?" the Doctor wondered, glancing between Olivia and River. "We'd pull the plug. We'd kill the power. But we can't just knock her out. The Angel would just take over!"

"Well, then what?" River wondered. "Quickly."

"We've got to shut down the vision centers of her brain!" the Doctor explained. "We've got to pull the plug. Starve the Angel."

"Doctor, she's got seconds," River reported, looking to the monitor.

"How would you starve your lungs?" the Doctor questioned.

"I'd stop breathing," River replied, distracted, but listening at the same time.

"Amy, close your eyes," Olivia ordered her.

"No…no, I don't want to," Amy groaned, pathetically.

"That's not _you_, Amy," Olivia insisted as the Doctor slid up next to Olivia but she kept eye contact with Amy. "That's the Angel not wanting you to. You can do it Amy. Close your eyes. It's like your hand, remember? You couldn't move it but it wasn't stone. Just close your eyes. You can do it."

She looked to her in fear before she somehow willed herself to close her eyes and Olivia looked to River as the monitor beeped again, the Doctor looking to her as well.

"She's normalizing," River breathed, looking to Olivia as they all breathed a sigh of relief and Olivia bowed her head with her sigh before lifting her head and stroking Amy's hair with a smile. "Olivia, you did it."

"No, I didn't," Olivia smiled, making both River and the Doctor look to her with frowns each before she explained, "_Amy_ did it."

"Yes, she did," the Doctor smiled before kneeling closer to Olivia to press a kiss to her head, murmuring, "But _you_ helped."

Amy slowly sat herself up and River monitored her vitals before pulling the cuff from her arm. The Doctor stood to step in front of Amy to look at her as she kept her eyes closed.

"Still weak," River reported. "Dangerous to move her."

"So can I open my eyes now?" Amy wondered.

"Amy, listen to me," the Doctor ordered, gently. "If you open your eyes now for more than a second, you will _die_. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't _stopped_, it. We've just sort of…_paused_ it. You've used up your countdown. You can_not_ open your eyes."

River wrapped an arm around Amy's arms as Olivia slung one over her shoulders, both trying to comfort her.

"Doctor, we're too exposed here," Octavian called. "We have to move on."

"We're too exposed _everywhere_ and Amy can't move," Olivia snapped, looking over her shoulder to glare at the Bishop, which he returned.

"And anyway, that's not the plan," the Doctor chimed in, drawing her attention back to him.

"There's a plan?" River and Olivia replied in unison, making them glance at each other with smirks as the Doctor glared comically between the two of them.

"I don't _know_ yet," he muttered before climbing onto a rock. "I haven't finished talking. Right! Father, you and your clerics, you're gonna stay here with, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, I'll hold every single one of you _personally_ responsible…_twice_. River, you and me, we're gonna go find the primary flight deck, which is…" He licked his finger and moved until he was facing Amy and River again. "Quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're gonna stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels and cure Amy."

"How?" River blurted as he ran back to step in front of her, Amy and Olivia.

"I'll do a thing," he replied.

"What thing?" Olivia frowned.

"I don't know," he retorted. "It's a thing in progress, respect the thing. Moving out!"

Olivia stood, her mouth open and about to say something but Octavian spoke instead.

"Doctor, I'm coming with you," the Bishop announced, approaching the Doctor and River stood to head toward them. "My clerics will look after Miss Pond. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection."

"I don't _need_ you," the Doctor replied as Olivia watched them from her spot.

"I don't _care_," Octavian retorted. "Where Doctor Song goes, _I_ go."

"What?" the Doctor blurted, wondering if he'd heard right before he looked to River as she stood next to them then looked back at Octavian to ask, "You two engaged of something?"

Octavian looked to her before looking back at the Doctor, "Yes. In a manner of speaking. Marco! You're in charge till I get back."

His man replied in the affirmative as Octavian walked ahead with River.

"Doctor," Amy called, drawing his attention to her. "Please, can't I come with you?"

"You'd slow us down, Miss Pond," Octavian called before he was out of sight as Olivia sat back down with Amy and glared at him.

"Don't wanna sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up," Amy shot back, making Olivia smirk at her as the Doctor sat on the other side of Amy.

"You'll be safer here," the Doctor explained. "We can't protect you on the move. I'll be back for you as soon as I can. I promise."

"You _always_ say that," Amy retorted, sounding like a pouting child and making Olivia smile.

"I always come back," he replied before looking around to stand and Olivia could tell he felt awkward. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do _not_ let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy…later. River! Gonna need your computer!"

"Amy, don't move, I'll be right back," Olivia murmured into her ear before standing and hurrying after the Doctor when her ran off and he stopped nearby with his back toward Amy. "Hey! Bowtie Boy!"

He turned to look at her as she approached, stepping next to him and he turned back to examine his Sonic.

"You didn't tell _me_ where to go," she noticed, setting her hands on her hips. "Too many women for you to keep up with?"

"Oh, stop," he shot back with a slight sneer, lowering his screwdriver. "I just thought you'd do as you usually do and _never_ what I tell you to."

"Well, here I am, ready to take orders," she retorted, lifting her hands to present herself before they slapped back to her sides. "Where do you want me?"

"Stay with Amy."

"No."

"You see?! You always pick the most _in_opportune times to argue with me! You want a row? Wait till we're safe and sound in the TARDIS, not being chased down by an army of hungry Weeping Angels!"

"I _thought_ you were gonna ask me to come with you."

"Look," the Doctor sighed, taking her arms in his hands to look into her eyes. "I know you hate being separated from me, but _Amy_ needs you right now. I'll come back for you, I promise. You _know_ I will."

Olivia swallowed before giving a reluctant nod and he smiled down at her before glancing to where Octavian and River had disappeared, making sure they weren't looking. He tilted Olivia's head to bring her gaze to his and leaned in, pressing his lips tenderly to hers. She had the urge to deepen the kiss, but knew she couldn't…they didn't have time. He pulled away and pressed another kiss to her cheek before smiling down at her again.

"Kiss for luck," he murmured. "And I'll see you in a bit."

Olivia couldn't help but smile before she nodded again and he grinned then took off down the trail. She sighed as she watched him disappear before turning to head back to Amy.

"Well, he's as mysterious as ever," she sighed, plopping next to Amy and looking to her as she obediently kept her eyes closed.

"Tell me about it," Amy agreed, making Olivia scoff with a frown before looking around at the clerics with them, four in all and Amy sighed, "So…what's happening? Anything happening out there?"

"The Angels are still grouping," one of the men replied, and Olivia straightened when the lights around them flickered. "You gettin' this too?"

"The trees?" one of the others called out. "Yeah."

"What? What's wrong with the trees?" Amy asked Olivia whose eyes were darting around the clearing.

"The lights are flickering," Olivia replied, taking one of Amy's hands for her comfort and in case they had to make a run for it.

"They're ripping the tree-borgs apart," one of the clerics reported to his leader.

"They're taking out the lights!" another called.

"I can't see," Amy breathed to Olivia.

"The trees are going out," Olivia replied, looking around. "Soon we'll _all_ be in the same boat as you."

She couldn't see the Angels, but she knew the clerics could and tried to keep calm as they called out that they were advancing. Amy stood, taking Olivia with her and Olivia gripped her arm as Amy tried to look through her eyelids.

"What is it?" Amy asked her. "Just tell me!"

"Amy, don't open your eyes," Olivia ordered her. "Keep them shut. The Angels are coming in. If they get past the clerics we may have to—"

She was cut off when a bright light to their right shone through the forest, drawing her attention to it and making her frown at it through a squint.

"What is that?" she breathed, making Amy turn her head to her.

"What's what?" Amy asked.

"The ship's not on fire, is it?" one of the clerics asked, making the rest of them look to the light.

"It can't be," another replied. "The compressors would have taken care of it."

"What is it?" Amy asked Olivia again as they all stared at the light.

"There's a bright light coming from beyond the forest," Olivia explained. "I can't really see what it is."

"Marco, the Angels have gone," one of the clerics called, making Olivia shoot a frown at him in wonder. "Where'd they go?"

"What, the Angels?" Amy echoed, facing Olivia who still frowned in confusion.

"This side's clear too, Sir," another cleric called.

"The Angels have _gone_?" Olivia questioned.

"There's still movement out there," one of them replied. "But _away_ from us now. It's like they're running."

"Running from what though?" Olivia breathed as she looked back at the light, suddenly finding something very familiar about its glow. But if it _was_ what she _thought_ it was, how could it be here _and_ back at the secondary flight deck?

"Phillip, Crispin," Marco called, pointing to the light and calling, "Need to get a closer look at that."

"Uh…Marco? I don't think that's such a good idea!" Olivia advised, but Phillip and Crispin were already following their orders and heading for the light.

"What are you all looking at?" Amy called in frustration that she couldn't see. "What's there?"

"It's like…a curtain of energy, kind of shifting," Olivia explained as best she could, not wanting to alarm Amy since she had panicked when she saw the crack earlier.

"Makes you feel weird," Marco added as he and the other cleric stepped to either side of the girls, all staring at the light. "Sick."

"And you think it scared the Angels?" Amy guessed.

"What could scare those things?" Pedro, the other cleric, wondered.

Olivia frowned at Amy when she shifted on her feet, turning in her spot and asked, "Amy, what are you doing?"

"Point me at the light," Amy ordered.

"You can't open your eyes," Olivia shot back.

"Can't open them for more than a _second_," Amy replied. "That's what the Doctor said. Still got a bit of countdown left."

"Amy, you _can't_," Olivia ground out. "You wanna die?!"

"Miss Felton is right, ma'am," Marco agreed. "I'd advise against—"

"I _need_ to see it!" Amy cut in, making Olivia sigh in defeat. She was sure the Doctor was gonna chew her out for this later. "Am I looking the right way? I have to be quick."

Olivia gritted her teeth before moving her in the right position and it took Amy a moment before she finally opened her eyes. They widened in terror when she saw it.

"It's the same shape," she breathed. "It's the crack in my wall."

"Alright, Amy, close your eyes!" Olivia ordered, her hands on her shoulders.

"It's following me. How can it be following me?"

"Amelia—!"

Olivia followed Amy down when she fell to her knees, Marco kneeling next to them and Olivia covered Amy's eyes when she started whimpering. She felt Amy's eyelashes brush her hand, indicating her eyes were now closed and she lowered her hand to look Amy over.

"Is she alright?" Marco hoped.

"I think so," Olivia nodded, not looking away from her. "Amy?"

"Yeah," Amy whispered. "I'm fine. Olivia…it was the same shape."

"I know," Olivia murmured back, wrapping an arm around Amy's arms to rub her arm soothingly. "I know."

"Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" Pedro asked, making Olivia frown at him in wonder, but her frown turned to Marco when he gave his approval.

"Don't get too close," Marco called as Pedro began heading away from the three.

"Wait, shouldn't we just wait for the other two to come back?" Olivia wondered to Marco, making him frown at her in absolute confusion.

"What other two?" Marco asked, making Olivia's frown deepen.

"The ones you sent before," Amy vouched, turning a frown in his direction.

"I didn't send anyone before," Marco replied, making Olivia's eyes widen at him.

"Yes, you did," Olivia argued, gently. "Phillip and Crispin. Remember? I told you it was a bad idea but they went ahead anyway."

"Crispin and who?" Marco frowned.

Olivia shook her head in confusion, but it was Amy that spoke up.

"Phillip," she urged him to remember. "Crispin and Phillip. I heard you send them!"

"Ladies, there never was a Crispin or Phillip on this mission, I promise you," Marco insisted.

"No, I heard you," Amy continued. "Before you sent Pedro, you sent Crispin and Phillip and now you can't even _remember_ them."

"Something must've happened," Olivia theorized to herself. "Don't know what, but how can you not remember them?"

She looked to Marco who was frowning again, making her frown in wonder in return.

"Pedro?" he echoed in wonder and Olivia frown fell.

"Yeah," Amy replied. "_Before_ you sent Pedro."

"Who's Pedro?" Marco questioned.

"Not again," Olivia breathed, sitting back on her feet and placing a hand over her mouth in thought.

"Something's happening," Amy agreed with Olivia. "Pedro was here a second ago, and now you can't even remember _him_!"

"There never _was_ a Pedro," Marco replied. "There's only ever been the three of us here."

"No," Amy insisted. "There were _six_ of us. Why can't you remember?"

"Listen," Marco said, turning to Olivia. "I need to get a look at that light, whatever it is."

"Don't!" Olivia objected, shaking her head as she stared wide eyes at him.

"Don't worry," he assured them. "I won't get too close."

"No, you can't," Amy objected as well. "You mustn't!"

"Here," Marco replied, ignoring them both as he pulled his communicator from his bag and handed it to Olivia. "Spare communicator. I'll stay in touch the whole time."

"You won't," Amy argued, shaking her head. "Because if you go back there what happened to the others will happen to _you_!"

"There _weren't_ any others!" Marco argued back.

"There won't be any _you_ if you go toward that light!" Olivia snapped back.

"Two minutes," he assured them. "I promise."

"Stupid!" Olivia growled, shooting to her feet to march after him. "Come back!"

"Olivia! Don't leave me!" Amy called, grabbing her hand and pulling her back and Olivia stepped back to her side but didn't kneel as she let Amy hold her hand.

"I'm not leaving," she assured Amy, gripping her hand as she looked around then handed her the com. "Here, try this."

Amy obeyed and spoke into the com, "Hello? Are you there? Hello?"

"_I'm here_," Marco replied from the com. "_I'm fine. I'm quite close to it now_."

"Then come back," Amy urged. "Come back _now_, please."

"_It's weird lookin' at it. It feels really…_"

Olivia looked to Amy when she heard feedback on the com and gave a shaky sigh, knowing whatever had got the other clerics got him too.

"Really what?" Amy called. "Hello? Really what?"

"Amy, you can stop," Olivia murmured, kneeling next to her.

"Please say you're there!" Amy urged, desperately into the com. "Hello? Hello!"

"He's gone, Amy," Olivia whispered, wrapping her arm around her again. "Just like the others. We're on our own, now."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	17. A Blind Trek

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 17: A Blind Trek**_

"_Amy? Amy? Is that you?_" the Doctor's voice suddenly sounded from the communicator Amy held, making Olivia stare at it in absolute shock.

"Doctor?!" Amy breathed.

"_Where are you_?" he asked. "_Are the clerics with you? Is Olivia still there?_"

Amy handed the com to Olivia who took it with shaking hands.

"Doctor? I'm still with Amy, but the clerics left," she reported. "They walked into this light that's coming from somewhere. They didn't even remember each other."

"_No, they wouldn't_," the Doctor replied, making her frown in wonder.

"_What is that light?_" they heard River ask the Doctor.

"_Time running out_," the Doctor replied, making Olivia glance to Amy but she listened to the Doctor as he told them, "_Amy, Olivia, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I should never have left either of you there._"

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Olivia muttered before asking, "What do we do?"

"_You come to us_," the Doctor replied. "_Primary flight deck, the other end of the forest. Have Amy turn on the spot with the communicator_."

"What?" Olivia frowned as Amy tried to stand and Olivia moved to help her.

"_Give her the com and tell her to turn on the spot_," he ordered again and Olivia obeyed, placing the com in Amy's hand, holding her other. "_When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound_."

Amy turned on her spot as Olivia kept her eyes open for the Angels and when Amy stopped, the com sounded with a familiar hum of the Sonic.

"_You have to start moving now_," the Doctor ordered over the Sonic sound. "_There's time energy spilling out of that crack and you two have to stay ahead of it_."

Olivia helped Amy walk through the forest in the direction they needed to go.

"But the Angels…they're _everywhere_," Amy told him.

"_Yeah, I'm sorry, I __really__ am, but the Angels can only __kill__ you_."

"What does the time energy do?"

"_Just keep moving!_"

"Doctor, just tell us," Olivia insisted.

"_If the time energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will __never__ have lived at all_."

Both girls froze in their spots, everything that happened with the clerics making sense now and Olivia glanced to Amy before looking around.

"_Now…keep your eyes shut, Amy…and keep moving_," the Doctor ordered.

Olivia swallowed before turning to Amy and gripping her hand reassuringly as they continued on.

"You're good, Amy," she murmured, staring at her feet to make sure the path was clear. "Just keep walking like normal. We're gonna get out of this."

"_Amy, Olivia, listen to me_," the Doctor called through the com. "_I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. It'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver to till the beeping stops_."

"But, Doctor, I've got her," Olivia called into the com. "Why does she need a proximity detector?"

"_She needs it because, Amy – this is important – the forest is full of Angels…_"

Olivia felt her heart skip in panic at the sigh he gave before he finished.

"_You're gonna have to walk like you can see_."

"What do you mean?" Amy questioned.

"_Look, just keep moving_."

The girls were silent as Olivia led Amy through the forest until some beeping came from the com, but they stopped when the lights flickered.

"Oh, hell," Olivia breathed, her eyes darting around the forest.

"What's that?" Amy wondered, hearing a low hum around them.

"_It's a warning_," the Doctor replied. "_There are Angels around you now._"

The lights faded again and Olivia gasped when the lights came back on when she saw they were surrounded by Angels…too many to count. Her heart raced again as her eyes darted around at each of them and she began shaking, her hand gripping Amy's in a death grip.

"_Olivia, Amy, listen to me. This is gonna be hard but I know you __can__ do it. You __both__ can. The Angels are scared and running and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume Amy can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do, Amy, is walk like you can see. Just don't open your eyes. Olivia, __don't__ let her open her eyes_."

Olivia gave shaky breaths as she shot her gaze around at the Angels, both unmoving.

"_You're not moving. You __have__ to do this. Now. You have to do this!_"

Olivia swallowed as she stepped behind Amy to place her hands on her shoulders and lead her from behind.

"Use the software," she murmured to her. "Just go forward and I'll steer as much as I can, alright? We can do this."

Amy could only nod as she began heading forward with shaking breaths as well, Olivia right behind her as her gaze darted around at the Angels. When the beeping sped on the com, Olivia tried to steer Amy as subtly as possible to get her away from an Angel she was about to hit. It happened a few more times until Olivia looked back at the group of Angels they'd just gone through, not noticed the huge root in the ground that Amy was attempting to step over. Both girls tumbled to the ground when Amy tripped and the com was knocked from her hand. Olivia groaned in pain as she quickly rolled off of Amy who was reaching blindly for the communicator.

"Olivia!" Amy called desperately.

"Hang on, Amy, I've got…"

Olivia's eyes widened when she suddenly found herself kneeling on the floor of a room that looked a lot like the secondary flight deck they'd been in before, River rushing toward her.

"…you."

"We've got the teleport going," River explained, helping her up.

"Well then hurry up and get Amy out of there!" Olivia snapped, standing to rush toward the console the Doctor was operating. "She dropped the communicator, Doctor. She won't be able to find it blind!"

"River, stay near the teleport to be ready to catch her," the Doctor ordered. "Olivia, get to that control panel and use your Sonic to give the teleport a boost."

Olivia rushed toward the console and did as she was told, using her Sonic Screwdriver wherever she thought it needed to be, and thankfully it was right.

"Don't open your eyes!" she heard River call and turned to see her holding Amy as the young woman leaned on her shoulder. "You're on the flight deck, the Doctor's here, so is Olivia. We teleported you. See? Told you I could get it working."

"River Song I could bloody _kiss_ you," the Doctor replied, still working on his console as Olivia hurried to them and looked over Amy in concern.

"Ah, well, maybe when you're older," River smiled.

"You're not too young for _me_," Olivia shot back to him, marching toward him to take his face into her hands and plant a kiss to his lips, pulling away with a smack then assured him, "More later."

The three stared around the room when an alarm blared, the lights flickering.

"What's that?" River wondered, still holding onto Amy.

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power," the Doctor explained before stepping to the front of the room. "Which means…the shield's going to release."

Just then, the door leading into the forest rose, but instead of just the forest, the scenery was filled with Angels, reaching for them, one equipped with a communicator.

"Angel Bob, I presume," the Doctor guessed.

"The time field is coming," Angel Bob replied. "It will destroy our reality."

"Yeah, look at you all, running away. What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time," Angel Bob answered. "The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close and they will be saved."

"No!" Olivia shouted, beginning to march forward, but the Doctor raised a hand to her, not looking at her and making her stop in her tracks as he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, _could_ do. Could do that. But why?"

"Your friends would also be saved," Angel Bob replied.

"Well, there is that," the Doctor shrugged and Olivia looked to River when she passed her.

"I've traveled in time," she announced, marching to his side. "I'm a complicated space-time event too, throw me in."

"By _those_ rules, toss _me_ in," Olivia shot back, coming up to the other side of him. "I'm a fixed point, aren't I? I'm worth _two_ of her."

"Oh, don't start!" the Doctor scolded them both. "Compared to _me_, these Angels are more complicated than either of you, and it would take every single one of them to amount to me, so get a grip."

"Doctor, we can't let you do this," River insisted and Olivia took a step to march forward but he gripped her wrist to yank her back.

"Don't be stupid," he ground out at her, shoving her behind him. "Seriously, you two, get a grip."

"You really think we're gonna let you die here?!" Olivia shot back, pulling on his arm to pull him back and she ground out next to his ear, "I'm not afraid to die for you!"

"I mean it!" the Doctor ordered. "River, Olivia, Amy…get a grip!"

"Oh, you genius," River breathed before pulling a confused Olivia away from him and back toward one of the consoles. "Hold onto this handle, tightly and don't let go."

"River, what—?"

"Just do it," River murmured before turning to Amy to help her as well, telling her the same thing.

"Sir," Angel Bob called as Olivia frowned between everyone in confusion. "The Angels _need_ you to sacrifice yourself now."

"Thing is, Bob," the Doctor replied. "The Angels are draining all the power from this ship. Every last bit of it…and you know what?! I think they've forgotten where they're standing. _I_ think they've forgotten the _gravity_ of the situation. Or to put it another way, Angels…night-night."

He turned and gripped a handle on the console next to Olivia just as the alarm blared again and the screens indicated the gravity had failed. Olivia screamed when she became weightless, gripping her handle tightly as the four were pulled toward the crack at the other end of the forest by their feet, but they all held tightly to the consoles. They all watched the Angels tumble through the air and into the crack, but Olivia looked back to her hands when she felt her fingers slipping from the metal she was gripping.

"Doctor, I'm slipping!" she screamed, as one of her hands fell away from the handle and she dangled by one of her hands, trying not to flail as she did, but it was impossible. "_Doctor_!"

"Olivia! Hold on!" he shouted, looking to the crack to see Angels still tumbling into it before looking back at her. He reached out to grip her hand but she gasped when her other hand slid from the bar and he reached for her, but she was pulled out of reach.

"_Olivia_!"

Olivia stared wide eyes at the three, drifting farther and farther away. Just as she thought the crack would absorb her into its nothingness, the light from it faded and she gave a grunt of pain when her back slammed into the wall it had been in. The minimal gravity allowed her to slide down the wall, dizzy from being thrown and slammed around.

"Olivia!"

She barely registered the Doctor calling her name before she saw his blurry image kneeling in front of her. She wondered how he'd gotten there so fast before her world fell to black.

* * *

_Later on the Beach..._

"Ah, bruised everywhere," Amy groaned, sitting on a rock on the beach with a blanket wrapped around her.

"Me too," the Doctor retorted, sitting in front of Olivia as she lay on a blanket at Amy's feet. "And look at Olivia! You have no room to complain."

"Alright, I feel bad for Olivia, but _you_ didn't have to climb out with your eyes _shut_," Amy retorted, glancing at the still unconscious Olivia.

"Neither did _you_," he shot back. "I kept saying the Angels all fell into the time field. The Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now."

"Then why do I remember it at all?" Amy wondered. "Those guys on the ship didn't remember each other."

"You're a time traveler now, Amy," he smiled up at her, but didn't leave Olivia's side. "Changes the way you see the universe. Forever. Good, isn't it?"

Amy couldn't help but laugh at his grin before they both looked to Olivia and she asked, "Is she gonna be ok?"

"Oh, yeah," he nodded, not looking from Olivia as he stroked some of her hair from her face blown by the wind. "Just a bit of exhaustion, probably. She'll sleep it off and be up and back to herself in no time."

"And the crack?" she asked, but he didn't look back at her until she finished her thought. "Is that gone too?"

"Yeah," he replied, finally looking up at her again. "For now. But the explosion that caused it is…still happening…somewhere out there. Somewhere in time."

They held each other's gazes before turning to Olivia again when she gave a groan and stirred on the blanket. She lifted a hand to her eyes to rub them before opening them and looking around before her jade gaze landed on the Doctor.

"Am I dead?" she breathed in a raw voice, making the Doctor smile at her. "You remember me, right? I didn't _not_ exist for a minute there?"

"You're alive, Liv," he smiled as she tried sitting up. "And we all remember you."

"Good," she groaned, scooting toward the edge of the blanket, her legs stretching out next to the Doctor. "And, for future reference, darling: Next time, don't let River talk you into it."

Amy laughed again as the Doctor only smiled warmly at her and she turned a smile to him in return before leaning closer to press a tender kiss to his lips.

"Speaking of her, where is she?" she smiled

The Doctor glanced at the clerics around them before looking to River near a group of rocks, handcuffed. He helped Olivia to her feet and headed toward River first as Olivia turned to Amy.

"You feeling ok?" she hoped and Amy nodded.

"Bruised," she groaned, making Olivia scoff in amusement. "Go say good-bye to River. She's being taken back to wherever she came from."

Olivia nodded before hurrying toward the Doctor and River just as he sauntered in front of River, asking, "What now?"

"The prison ship's in orbit," River replied as Olivia stepped next to the Doctor. "They'll beam me up any second. I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see."

Olivia frowned between them before the Doctor reported, "Octavian said you killed a man."

River's smile fell slowly as she replied, "Yes, I did."

"A good man," the Doctor added as Olivia stared wide eyes at River in disbelief.

"A _very_ good man," River replied. "The best man I've ever known."

"Who?" Olivia couldn't help but ask for them both and River gave a chuckle.

"It's a long story, Olivia," she smiled. "Can't be told. It has to be lived. No sneak previews. Well…except for this one: You'll see me again quite soon…when the Pandorica opens."

Olivia glanced at the Doctor, not failing to notice the grin spreading his lips. Her jealousy she swore she wouldn't feel was starting to grow.

"The Pandorica," he hummed before stepping close to River and making Olivia start to fidget on her feet as he leaned next to her ear to whisper, "That's a fairy tale."

River laughed when he stepped away and slung an arm around Olivia's shoulders, much to Olivia's surprise but she couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, Doctor," River laughed. "Aren't we all? I'll see you there. I'll see you _both_ there."

"I look forward to it," the Doctor nodded.

"I remember it well," River smirked and Olivia frowned at the Doctor when he laughed and turned away, her eyes widening in amusement at the blush over his face.

She cleared her throat, forcing herself to stop smiling before she told River, "I'm sorry about yelling at you…and saying that I'm worth two of you. It's not true."

"Oh, believe me, you've said worse to me," River smirked, making Olivia's eyes widen at her but she placed a silent finger over her lips when Amy stepped next to her.

"Bye, River," Amy smiled to her, making River chuckle again.

"See you, Amy," she smiled at her before her handcuffs beeped, making the Doctor and Olivia look to her in wonder. "Oh! I think that's my ride."

"Can I trust you, River Song?" the Doctor asked as Amy stepped next to Olivia.

"If you like," River shrugged, casually then smiled, deviously, "But where's the fun in that?"

A whirlwind swirled around her and when it faded, she'd disappeared. The Doctor turned to stare out at the horizon, Olivia and Amy on either side of him and Olivia could tell he was contemplating.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him, wrapping a wrist around his to slip her hand into his, entwining their fingers and making him turn to her with a smile.

"Time can be rewritten," he replied, but she could see in his eyes that there was more to that statement than he was ready to let on. He lifted her hand in his to kiss the back of it before lowering it again and leading her toward the TARDIS, urging, "Come along, Pond."

He led them both toward the TARDIS and stepped inside, Olivia and Amy right behind him. He went straight to the console to start the engines as Amy stepped toward the jump seat next to it, watching him for a moment and Olivia went to the console as well to help him. It was several moments before Amy spoke.

"I wanna go home," Amy said, making Olivia look up from the console and glance to her then look to the Doctor across from her. She could see the pain in his eyes when he gave her an affirmative answer but she sighed in relief when she saw Amy smile as she stood and approached him to lean on the console. "No, not like _that_. I just wanna show you something. You're running from River…I'm running too."

"Well, then," Olivia smiled, running toward the three to lean sideways on Amy's arm with a grin. "Quick run to Amy's place then back to traveling the universe, right?"

* * *

_Amy's House..._

"Well…" the Doctor chirped, sitting on Amy's bed with her as Olivia stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, staring wide eyes at the wedding dress hanging on the open door of Amy's closet.

"Yeah," Amy nodded.

"Wow," Olivia murmured.

"Blimey," the Doctor muttered.

"I know," Amy nodded. "This is the same night we left, yeah?"

"We've been gone five minutes," he replied, looking to his watch and Amy leaned over to pull something from her nightstand, making Olivia frown and approach her as Amy opened the small, red velvet box to show off what was inside.

"I'm getting married in the morning," she smiled and Olivia took the box to stare at the ring with wide eyes.

"Amy, it's gorgeous!" Olivia grinned before smirking to the Doctor and holding it toward him, wiggling it as she joked, "Where's mine, huh?"

The Doctor turned a narrow-eyed glare at her before snatching the box and questioned Amy, "Why did you leave it _here_?"

"Why did I leave my engagement ring off when I ran away with a strange man on the night before my wedding?" Amy shot back. "You really _are_ an alien, aren't you?"

"So, who's the lucky guy?" Olivia smiled, leaning a hand on the railing of the foot of the bed as Amy put her ring away again.

"You both met him," Amy replied.

"Ah, the good looking one, or the other one?" the Doctor asked then gestured a big nose for the other one, making Amy glare at him as Olivia giggled.

"The _other_ one," Amy muttered, slapping the Doctor's arm.

"Rory, right?" Olivia recalled then smiled as she assured her, "He's nice too."

"Thanks," Amy smiled at her.

Olivia gave a gasp of excitement, her eyes widening before she grinned, "I know _just_ the thing for a little celebration. I'll be right back with three glasses and champagne! Doctor, where's that cellar you told me about?"

"Just ask the TARDIS, she'll tell you," he replied.

Olivia nodded then hurried through the open door of the TARDIS, the door shutting behind her. She made her way up the stairs and was about to man the console for directions but stopped in her tracks when the porthole-shaped screen filled with an image of Amy and the Doctor, Amy's voice sounding around the room.

"_So, do you comfort a lot of people on the night before their wedding?_"

"Comfort?" Olivia ground out, turning on her heel to face the screen completely and leaning on the railing to grip it so tightly, her knuckles turned white. "She is _not_…"

"_Why would you need comforting?_" the Doctor wondered, honestly.

"Exactly!" Olivia chirped, unmoving to let the Doctor handle this himself.

"_I nearly __died_," Amy replied, way too casually for Olivia's comfort. "_I was alone, in the dark and I nearly died. And it made me think…_"

"_Well, yes, natural. I think sometimes…well, lots of times_," he replied, making Olivia bow her head in exasperation.

"_About what I want_," Amy explained, making Olivia shoot her head up at the screen, her eyes wide. "_About __who__ I want. You know what I mean?_"

Olivia stared at the screen, holding her breath to hear his answer. She trusted him, but it was taking every ounce of her will power to keep herself from running out the TARDIS door to slap Amy's adorable dimples off her face.

"_Yeah_," the Doctor blurted and Olivia gritted her teeth but she sighed in exasperation when he admitted, "_No._"

"_About __who__ I want_," Amy repeated.

"_Oh, right, yeah_," he replied but after a moment he added, "_No, still not getting it_."

"_Doctor, in a word, in one very simple word even __you__ can understand…_" Amy trailed off and Olivia growled in rage when Amy reached for him in attempt to kiss him.

"I'm gonna _kill_ her!" she ground out, slamming her fists down on the railing, but didn't move when she realized the Doctor was resisting and climbing over the railing at the foot of her bed to stand with his back to the TARDIS door.

"_You're getting __married__ in the morning!_" he reminded her. "_And Olivia would kill __both__ of us if she caught you doing this! She's very protective of me! And now I can see why!_"

"_Yeah, I noticed_," Amy retorted as Olivia glared at the screen, watching Amy stand from the bed and stroll toward the Doctor. "_But she's not here right now, is she? And the morning's a long time away. What are we going to do about that?_"

"_Amy, listen to me_," the Doctor pleaded, pulling his suspenders back on when she pulled them off. "_I'm in love with Olivia and, as I said, she's rather protective of me. She will kill the __both__ of us if you try to have some sort of affair with me. You and me can't __ever__ work!_"

"That's right, Amy, so back off!" Olivia ground out, her temper rising as she watched Amy trying to pull his clothes off.

"_Besides, I'm nine hundred and seven years old and look at me! I don't get older! I just change! __You__ get older, I __don't__!_"

"_Oh, you are sweet, Doctor, but I really wasn't suggesting anything quite so…long term_," Amy replied, and Olivia lost it when Amy finally managed to plant her lips to the Doctor's…and _he_ didn't push her away.

"Oh, it's _on_," Olivia ground out, shoving away from the railing and marching down the stairs.

When she reached the TARDIS door, she yanked it open, knowing they were leaning against it and the screen blipped off as the Doctor and Amy tumbled to the floor at Olivia's feet. The pair groaned in pain before he looked up at Olivia who glared back down at them, but it was Amy that incurred her wrath first.

"Olivia—"

The Doctor's attempt to calm her was cut off when Olivia leaned down and shoved Amy back by the head and out of the TARDIS. Amy shouted in surprise as she tumbled back into her room and the Doctor shot to his feet as Olivia slammed the door shut before turning to march back up the stairs and toward the console.

"Now, where shall we go next?" Olivia forcibly grinned, making the Doctor shoot wide eyes at her as she operated the console. Coming back to his senses, he ran up the stairs and attempted to stop her, swatting her hands from the controls.

"Olivia, we can't just leave her like that," he insisted.

"Yes, we can," Olivia chirped with a tight smile. "Just like this!"

She was about to slam a lever into place to take off but he gripped her wrist and pulled her back to shove her into the chair next to the console.

"_My_ TARDIS, _my_ rules!" he scolded as she glared up at him, seething.

"Oh, so I have to sit by while you make-out with Amy every chance you get?!" she snarled, shooting to her feet again to look him in the eye. "_You're_ with me, and _she's_ getting married in the morning!"

"Exactly! She's getting married in the morning…" the Doctor agreed then trailed off in thought. "In the morning…"

Olivia glared at him, seeing the look in his eyes, and she now _hated_ that look because it meant he was going back for Amy. Sure enough he shot down the stairs and opened the door to lean out and call to her.

"It's _you_!" he called when Amy approached him, a look of relief on her face. "It's all about _you._ Everything…it's about _you_."

"Well that's just _great_!" Olivia snapped, throwing her arms in the air as she glared at the two when the Doctor dragged Amy back into the TARDIS and up the stairs, the door shutting behind them.

"Amy Pond," he spoke as he pulled her up the stairs then let her go to run around the console as he spoke. "Mad, _impossible_ Amy Pond! I don't know why, I have _no_ idea, but quite possibly the single most important thing in the _history_ of the universe is that I get you sorted out right now."

"_What_?!" Olivia snapped as Amy glanced between the two in wonder.

"Quick stop somewhere…and we'll be on our way!" the Doctor called and Amy sat herself in the jump seat next to the console to watch him as Olivia felt her rage burn hotter than she'd ever felt for him before.

She didn't say a word as she turned and ran up the stairs heading toward the rooms, ignoring the Doctor calling to her and not wanting either of them to see the tears forming in her eyes. She ran through the hall to the room she used when she wanted to be alone and slammed the door behind her before letting herself fall back against it, slipping to the floor and letting herself sob.

It was all catching up to her. River Song…the Weeping Angels…and now _this_. It was all too much. At least with River she knew, more or less, what she was getting. She was his future. But when _Amy_ threw herself at the Doctor – her Highwayman, like that…she couldn't take it. It was too much because she remembered…that's how _she_ had started, and he'd fallen for her.

A soft knock at the door made her gasp in a sob and she harshly wiped her tears from her cheeks but didn't get up as she cleared her throat. Her voice still sounded choked as she called, "Who is it?"

"The Tsar of Russia, Liv, who do you think?" the Doctor replied in an emotionless tone. "Open the door, won't you?"

Olivia swallowed before slowly standing and trying to wipe the rest of her tears from her cheeks before she turned to open the door, her eyes cast down at his shoes when it did and she heard him curse, softly.

"Olivia, I tried—"

"I know, Theta," she whispered. "It's not just that. It's…everything."

"Don't be cross with Amy, Liv, be cross with _me_."

"Oh, Theta, I'm not mad at Amy," she groaned, turning into the room to head toward the bed as he stepped in after her, shutting the door behind him as she turned to plop onto the bed. "I can't blame her for that after what we just went through and…well _look at you_! You're _still_ sexy, even after the regeneration and even _with_ the bowtie and suspenders."

"Oi!"

Olivia couldn't help but giggle at his outburst at 'disrespecting' his 'cool' look. His expression softened at hearing her laugh as he approached her and he smiled, sitting next to her on the mattress. She leaned toward him so her head rested on his shoulder which she snuggled up to with a small sniffle.

"So, where's this quick stop we're taking?" she wondered as he lifted a hand to take one of hers and set it on his knee, entwining their fingers.

"Rory's Stag," he replied, making her frown but she said nothing. "It should've been _him_ Amy kissed, not _me_. I've got the perfect plan to get her mind off me."

Olivia couldn't help but smile before she glanced to him but didn't move and asked, "Would it be ok if we picked up Aaron before the next trip? I've wanted to surprise him with an adventure and I wanna do it before he leaves for Ealing."

The Doctor turned his head to press a warm kiss to her forehead before replying, "Good idea. I'm sure he'd love it."

"Thank you," she murmured before finally shifting her head to look up at him with a smile, which he returned. She lifted a hand to his bowtie and fiddled with it for a moment before asking, "Weren't we gonna do something with this bowtie?"

"Liv—"

Olivia cut him off by planting her lips to his and he gasped into her mouth in surprise when she took the lead and shoved her tongue past his lips, one hand on the back of his head to pull him closer. Without any argument or fight, they fell back onto the bed, but he pulled his mouth away, making Olivia trail kisses down his neck.

"Liv…" he sighed, then murmured in disappointment, "We really don't have time for this, darling. I left Amy in the control room."

"You're right," she sighed in disappointment as well. "She'll crash us. Let's go."

* * *

**A/N:** well, how was that, then? reviews?


	18. An Adventure and a Date

**A/N:** new chappie! finally! sorry, been busy with a few things. enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 18: An Adventure and a Date**_

"So…you're finished packing?" Joyce Felton asked the red headed young man sitting at her kitchen table.

"Yeah," Aaron sighed, leaning his chin in his hand, his elbow propped on the table. He looked at his phone in boredom as Joyce glanced back at him from what she was doing as he mumbled, "She texted me _hours_ ago. Where the hell is she?"

"You know how it is with the Doctor," Joyce smiled, bringing him a plate of fruit she'd just finished chopping. "They probably got side-tracked."

Aaron sighed and nodded before picking at a piece of fruit on his plate. It was meant to be a snack before he left with Olivia to…wherever she wanted to take him. Her text had told him to be ready to run out the door. That she and the Doctor were coming straight there to pick him up. That had been three hours ago, and his patience was wearing thin.

A sound caught his ear, making him frown as he tried to make it out, but as it became louder his eyes widened and he didn't even look to Joyce when she spun away from the counter as he lunged toward the exit of the kitchen and yanked the door open to run onto the porch. He smiled broadly as he saw the TARDIS materialize in the front lawn and a moment later, a familiar face leaned out the door, grinning back at him.

"Well, hurry up, Aaron!" Olivia called, waving him toward the door. "We don't have all day! We've got a bachelor party to get to!"

"Bye, Mrs. F!" Aaron shouted, not turning around as he ran toward the TARDIS asking Olivia, "What took you?"

Olivia lightly slapped his arm as he entered, then looked to Joyce stepped slowly after him, waving out the door at her as she assured her, "I'll visit when we bring him back, mom!"

Joyce nodded with a smile, remaining on the porch as Olivia shut the door behind Aaron. He slowly spun around to take in the change of the TARDIS again before stopping at the bottom of the stairs when he caught sight of the Doctor sailing around the console, operating it. Olivia stepped up next to him and grabbed his hand to pull him up the stairs just as the Doctor turned on his heel with a grin at the two.

"Hello, you two!" he grinned, turning them to throw an arm each around their shoulders, glancing between them as he whispered, "Now, here's the plan: We'll head to Rory's Stag, then take Rory and Amy on a nice little trip, but it's a surprise. So don't say a word, got it?"

"Got it," Olivia nodded for them both. "Hush, hush."

"Excellent," the Doctor smiled to her before kissing her head as he lowered his arm from her shoulders. Olivia turned to head toward the console and Aaron was about to follow her but the Doctor wouldn't let go of his shoulders, making Aaron frown at him, but he quickly explained, "I know you've had some trouble with all the changes the TARDIS and I have gone through, but trust me, Aaron, I'm the same man. I promised I'd _never_ come back without Olivia, and I've kept my promise every time. Struggled to keep it a few times – you know how she is – but _kept_ it, every single time. So, I'm asking…can you trust me as I am now?"

Aaron stared at the Doctor for a moment before he smirked and nodded, making the Doctor grin and pat his arm before laughing and turning to the console, Aaron hurrying to stand with Olivia.

"Where's Amy?" he frowned in wonder.

"She's in the wardrobe," she replied just as the TARDIS shuddered to a stop.

"Right!" the Doctor called, hurrying to the door. "I'll be back!"

"I'm going with you!" Olivia called, hurrying after him and making Aaron frown at her in wonder but he stayed put.

The Doctor stopped at the door and turned to Olivia with a frown as she met him and murmured, "But…Aaron's here. You're just gonna leave him in the TARDIS with Amy? I'm not sure how long this will take."

"I have a score to settle," she replied in a low tone before turning to open the door and head out, making the Doctor groan, silently.

"Oh, no! Liv! Don't start trouble!" he shouted as he hurried out the door after her, shutting the door behind him and just then Aaron shot his gaze to the stairs as Amy came down, looking around with a frown of wonder.

"Where'd they go?" she asked him, turning her frown to him.

"Uh…" Aaron hummed in thought before deciding to play dumb and shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well, isn't that _great_?" Amy grumbled, slapping a hand to her thigh before stepping from the stairs and heading toward Aaron. "You're Olivia's friend right? Aaron, was it?"

"Yeah," he nodded, holding a hand toward her and they shook hands. "Aaron Marcus. You're Amy Pond. Nice to meet you officially."

"Yeah, as opposed to last time, right?" she smiled, remembering seeing him and Joyce before their trip to Starship UK. "Least I'm not in my nighty."

"Aw, you looked cute anyway," Aaron smiled, waving her off.

"Watch it, lad," she shot back, playfully. "I'm engaged, ya know?"

"And I'm _gay_, ya know?"

Amy couldn't help but burst out laughing and Aaron laughed with her.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"_Hey_!" Rory shouted into his mobile as he stood at the bar, his friends bustling around him and the noise around him making him place a hand over his other ear to hear himself. "It's me! Hello! How are you? Um, the reason for this call is because I haven't told you for seven hours that I love you, which is a _scandal_, and even if we weren't getting married tomorrow, I'd ask you to marry me anyway. Yes, I would, because _you_ are smashing!"

One of his friends pulled his attention to the fake, over-sized cake being rolled into bar and his eyes widened at it.

"Oh, blimey," he breathed then sputtered, "I-I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rory hung up the phone and nervously stood in front of the cake as his friends cheered around him until someone's head popped out of the top of it. It most certainly was _not_ a scantily clad woman like everyone had expected.

"Rory!" the Doctor grinned, remaining in the fake cake as everyone stared at him in confusion. "That's a relief. I thought I'd burst out of the wrong cake…again. That reminds me, there's a girl standing outside in a bikini. Could someone let her in and give her a jumper? No, wait, I think Olivia's taking care of that. She was very cross with me that I was even talking to her. Lucy. Lovely girl." He glanced around the room as he whispered, "Diabetic."

"Doctor!"

All eyes shot to the door as Olivia marched through it and toward the cake the Doctor was standing in. "Is this the right—? Rory! Good to see you! Doctor, did you tell him yet?"

"Just getting to that, Liv," he nodded as she strode up next to him, facing Rory who was staring at them in utter disbelief and confusion. "Now, then. Rory. We need to talk about you fiancé."

That made Rory smile and look down at the shirt he wore with a custom picture of himself and Amy in a heart with an arrow through it.

"Oh, that smile's gonna drop _real_ fast," Olivia muttered, quietly as he looked back up at them.

"She tried to kiss me," the Doctor blurted, making the entire room gasp as Rory's face fell, just as Olivia said it would, and she lowered her face into her hand in embarrassment over the Doctor's lack of tact. "Tell you what, though, you're a lucky man. She's a great kisser."

Someone dropped a glass, followed by silence as Olivia sighed, head in hand. The Doctor looked around the room before leaning sideways to murmur to Olivia, "Funny how you can say something in your head and it _sounds_ fine…"

"And then you say it out loud and it's the most inappropriate thing _ever_ to come out of your mouth?" Olivia finished sarcastically, lifting her head with a matching smile.

"Exactly," he nodded, snapping his fingers and pointing at her in approval, making her roll her eyes in exasperation.

"What is this about Amy kissing you?" Rory finally demanded, drawing the couple's attention to him.

"Him, not me," Olivia clarified then marched toward him, making the Doctor frown at her, but she ignored him as Rory frowned down at her. "That's the explanation for what I'm about to do now, Rory. Just go with it, ok?"

"Liv, what are you—? _Olivia_!"

Olivia grabbed Rory's face and pulled his face toward hers, their lips meeting and making Rory's eyes shoot wide as he lifted his hands up and away from her, trying to pull away but not making too much of a fight of it from his shock. The Doctor clambered out of the cake he was still standing in and marched toward the pair, yanking Olivia back and away from Rory and making her laugh out loud as she stumbled away, the Doctor spinning her around to make her face him as Rory stood still in wide-eyed shock.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the Doctor snapped at her. "He's getting married in the morning! And I thought you weren't cross!"

"I'm not," Olivia shrugged casually, making him frown at her in utter confusion. "I got my revenge. Now we're all even."

* * *

_Later in the TARDIS..._

"The life out there, it _dazzles_!" the Doctor called, hanging in a swing under the TARDIS console, huge goggles over his eyes to protect them from the sparks he sent flying. Olivia and Aaron sat in the jump seat, Olivia perched on Aaron's knee, as they watched Amy pace nervously, staring at Rory who was staring at the Doctor through the glass floor around the console as he continued, "I mean, it _blinds_ you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans—"

They all jumped when something shone bright near the Doctor and at the same time something smoked from the console as the TARDIS shook.

"It's meant to do that," the Doctor assured them all before continuing his rant. "Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back, it _will_ tear you apart."

"Questions," Aaron told Olivia.

"Fire away," she urged with a wag of her head, neither one looking away from what was going on around them.

"Why is Amy freakin' out? Why is Rory _not_ freakin' out? And what the _hell_ is the Doctor getting at?"

"Amy's freaking out because she made out with the Doctor and now Rory knows about it and is _here_," Olivia explained. "I have no answer for the other two questions, but I think we'll get an answer to one soon."

"Wait…Amy kissed the Doctor and you haven't killed her yet?" Aaron frowned at Olivia, making her turn a glare to him. "I'm honestly confused now."

"Just shut up and pay attention," Olivia shot back, making both turn to the scene as the Doctor spoke again.

"So!" the Doctor chirped, glancing between Rory and Amy. "I'm sending you somewhere…together."

"Whoa, what? Like a date?" Amy questioned, nervously.

"Anywhere you want," the Doctor reported, stepping from the swing and hurrying toward the stairs leading back to the console. "Any _time_ you want. One condition: It has to be _amazing_!"

Olivia ran up next to him when he reached the console, both operating it.

"The Moulin Rouge in 1890!" the Doctor grinned, sailing around Olivia. "The first Olympic games!"

"Think of it as a wedding present," Olivia grinned to Amy who only glared back, having heard that she'd kissed Rory. Though Amy had to admit, she had deserved it for what _she_ had done, and took it for what it was.

"Yeah, because frankly it's either this or tokens," the Doctor agreed before looking to Rory who hadn't moved from his spot, Aaron still sitting in the jump seat, watching everyone.

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" the Doctor guessed, passing Rory to stand on the stairs in front of him. "Tiny box, _huge_ room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension," Rory blurted, making Olivia freeze at the console and look at him, as did Aaron, both with wide eyes.

"It's basically another dimen—What?" the Doctor questioned, stopping his descent of the stairs to frown at Rory.

"After what happened with Prisoner Zero I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories," Rory explained, making Olivia turn and lean on the console sideways with a small awed smirk as the Doctor approached him. "FTL travel, parallel universes—"

"I like the bit when someone says 'It's bigger on the inside'," the Doctor cut into Rory's explanation, stopping in front of him. "I always look forward to that."

"So, this date!" Amy called, trying to get them to stop talking to each other and Olivia couldn't help but snicker as she turned back to the console to adjust things, waving at Aaron to help her out and he shot to his feet to stand with her, Amy rounding the console toward Rory. "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do think, Rory?"

"How about somewhere…" the Doctor trailed off, strolling up next to Olivia to place a hand on a lever and grin at her, "…romantic?"

"Oh, sure, and I leave _my_ date at home," Aaron muttered before stumbling and gripping the console when the TARDIS lifted off. It thrashed as Olivia and the Doctor ran around the console to fly it before it came to a stop and Olivia patted Aaron's shoulder.

"_I'm_ your date," she smiled, playfully, leaning back on the console between him and the Doctor.

"What about the Doctor?" Aaron wondered.

"He's the tour guide this time," Olivia shrugged.

"Oi!" the Doctor chirped, making her giggle and wink at Aaron before she turned to place a quick kiss on the Doctor's cheek.

"So, where are we?" Amy asked, and the Doctor turned without a word to lead the group toward the door, Amy and Rory following him with Olivia and Aaron right behind them as the Doctor stepped out the door and presented their surroundings.

"Venice!" he announced as they all filed out of the TARDIS. "Venezia! La Serenissima!"

Olivia stepped up next to him with Aaron on her arm, both wide-eyed in awe as they stared out at the horizon of water ahead of them, Amy and Rory on the other side of him.

"Impossible city," the Doctor continued, slinging an arm around Olivia's shoulder as she stood next to him, jaw slack and eyes wide. "_Preposterous_ city! Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun! It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the Marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding…constantly…just beautiful!"

The Doctor looked to Olivia and smiled as she looked back at him with glittering jade eyes. He almost couldn't believe she still had that look every time they went somewhere new, but he still loved it. After a moment he turned to walk the group around, his arm still around her neck and she held onto Aaron's hand to drag him along behind her as he stared at their surroundings in awe, Amy and Rory trailing after them.

"Ah, you've gotta love Venice," he grinned as they walked around the marketplace they'd landed in. "And so many people _did_…Byron, Napoleon, Casanova."

"Casanova?!" Olivia and Aaron both grinned at him before Aaron continued, "Is he here?! Can we meet him?!"

"Like _you_ have a chance Aaron," Olivia smirked to him. "As I recall, he was only _ever_ with women."

"I could always change history," Aaron shrugged with a smug smirk. "I'm irresistible, after all."

"No…" the Doctor hummed, looking at his watch on the other side of Olivia's head as she rolled her eyes at Aaron then lowered it to reply, "1580. Casanova doesn't get born for one hundred forty-five years. Don't wanna run into him."

"Why not?" Olivia frowned at him as Aaron turned away with a pout.

"I owe him a chicken," he replied in a near mumble.

"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory questioned.

"I'm not surprised, actually," Olivia retorted.

"Long story," the Doctor replied. "We had a bet."

They all came to a stop when a flustered old man in official looking Italian clothing stopped them by stepping right in front of them to keep them from heading into deeper into the city.

"Papers if you please," he ordered, stopping them from heading any further. "Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection."

The Doctor calmly pulled out his Psychic Paper and held it up to show the man.

"There ya go, fella," he replied and the man snatched the paper from him to examine it. "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."

The old man looked to the paper then around at the group with wide eyes before turning back to the Doctor and bowing, making the four frown around at each other in confusion and wonder.

"I am _so_ sorry, Your Holiness," he begged, and Olivia couldn't help but snicker before he stepped toward her and took her hand to kiss it, making her frown at him.

"Your Majesties," he bowed to her and Aaron before looking back at the Doctor. "I didn't realize."

"No worries," the Doctor nodded, patting his shoulder. "You were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly _is_ your job?"

"Checking for aliens," the man replied, and both Olivia and Aaron couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Visitors from foreign lands, what might bring the plague with them."

"Oh, that's nice," Amy complained, glaring at the Doctor. "See where you bring me? The plague!"

"Don't worry, Viscountess," the man smiled to her, bowing and making her sigh with a regal nod, playing the part a little too well as he continued, "We're under quarantine here. No one comes in, no one goes out and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri."

"How interesting," the Doctor hummed, looking to the seal the man pointed to on his book.

"I…_heard_ the plague died out years ago," Aaron chimed in.

"Not out there, Your Majesty," the man replied, respectfully. "No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."

"Did she now?" the Doctor frowned in thought.

Without another word between them, the Doctor led the group farther down the street, Rory taking the Psychic Paper back from the man and looking at it.

"Um, according to this, I'm your eunuch!" he called to Amy, making her turn to look at him.

"Oh, yeah, I'll explain later," she replied, vaguely before Rory hurried after the group and Olivia took a look at the paper over Rory's shoulder, Aaron looking over his other shoulder.

She and Aaron burst out laughing as they read what the man had, making the Doctor stop in the walkway and whirl around to frown at them.

"What's so funny?" he questioned, making Amy and Rory frown at them as well, but Rory's frown fell when he assumed they were laughing at him being Amy's 'eunuch.'

"It's not _that_ funny," he muttered, but Olivia shook her head, still laughing.

"It's not you!" Aaron laughed, shaking his head as well.

"We're the king and queen of France!" Olivia laughed.

"It was meant as a _compliment_," the Doctor retorted. "Since I was the Pope it wouldn't do for me to have a _girlfriend_! I had to improvise!"

"He's gay and I'm your girlfriend and you made us the king and queen of France!" Olivia laughed, doubling over as she and Aaron used each other for support, both unable to stop laughing.

The Doctor huffed in frustration before turning and heading down the walkway again, the four following him. He led them into a covered walkway and leaned on the stone railing, Olivia hurrying to stand next to him, Aaron next to her with Amy and Rory next to him, all laughter calmed. Amy and Aaron looked to each with wide eyes and both couldn't help laughing in awe at the scenery around them, but Olivia noticed the Doctor staring ahead at the fortress across the waterway.

"Theta, what's wrong?" she murmured, so the others wouldn't hear her.

"Look," he gently urged, making her turn her attention to where he was staring.

They watched as a man frantically searched through the group of girls walking out of the fortress. He reached one and seemed to be pleading with her before one of the other girls stepped toward him, pushing him away and he fell back to the ground. He tried to stand when the girls turned away but another man stopped him for a moment, looking down at him before sweeping away himself.

"What was—? Ah!"

Olivia found herself being dragged by the hand behind the Doctor, leaving Aaron, Amy and Rory still at the railing. He bobbed and weaved through people and everything seemed like a blur until they reached another walkway and the Doctor let go of Olivia's hand when they were caught up to the man they'd been watching.

"Who were those girls?" the Doctor asked, perching himself at the bottom of a set of steps on the building the man had just passed and he looked back at the Doctor as Olivia stopped next to the Time Lord.

"I thought everyone knew about Calvierri school," he assumed.

"It's…our first day here," Olivia replied before the Doctor stepped toward him.

"So, ok, parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools," the Doctor began theorizing as Olivia stepped up next to him. "They move house, they change religion. So why are you trying to get her _out_?"

"Something happens in there," the man explained as the couple paid close attention. "Something magical, something _evil_. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face…like an animal."

Olivia could see the terror and hurt in his eyes before she looked up at the Doctor to see what he would say.

"I think it's time I met this…Signora Calvierri," he murmured, wrapping an arm around the man's shoulders his other around Olivia's to walk them back toward the school. "What's your name, Signor?"

"I am Guido," he replied.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor, this lovely girl with me is—"

"Olivia?!"

"Aaron!" Olivia called back, running toward the direction his voice had come from and when she rounded a corner she nearly rammed into him. "Aaron! I'm _so_ sorry—!"

"It's ok," he chuckled at her as the Doctor and the man met them. "I just wanted to leave the love birds alone. What's going on?"

Olivia turned with a bright smile to the Doctor who only smiled back and stepped closer to sling his arm around her shoulders again, both turning to Aaron.

"Planning a break-in!" the Doctor grinned. "Care to join?"

"Is the TARDIS bigger on the inside?" Aaron scoffed, turning to sling his arm around Olivia's shoulders on the opposite side of the Doctor. "Lead the way!"

"Brilliant!" the Doctor grinned. "Aaron, this is our new friend, Guido. Guido, this is Olivia's best friend Aaron, and your partner in distracting the guards…"

* * *

**A/N:** had to get Aaron in on something, didn't i? lol! reviews?


	19. A Loaded Question

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 19: A Loaded Question**_

"You have my daughter!" Guido shouted as he and Aaron marched up to the gate of the school where two guards stood, trying to keep them both from coming in. "Isabella!"

The guards were so busy with Aaron and Guido that they didn't notice the Doctor and Olivia sneak around to the side gate and Olivia kept a lookout as the Doctor used the Sonic on the lock. The gate swung open and the two marched through it and into the school, unnoticed as Aaron and Guido stopped heckling the guards, their part of the plan complete.

The Doctor took Olivia's hand as they made their way through the darkened fortress, coming to a set of stairs and they made their way down to come to an empty room with three doors on one wall and a mirror on the opposite wall. He turned to the mirror and grinned, stepping toward it as Olivia stepped toward the doors to examine them.

"Where do you think these lead?" she murmured, thinking he was next to her.

"Hello, Handsome," he smirked into the mirror and Olivia turned to him with a frown before sighing and heading toward him as he admired himself in the mirror.

"Have you _always_ been so vain?" Olivia wondered, looking over herself in the mirror for a second before turning her gaze to his reflection.

"You tell _me_, Liv," he shot back, not looking away from the mirror. "You know me better than anyone."

"Who are you?"

The couple froze and looked to each other in the mirror before turning around and their eyes widened when they were met with five women in nightdresses looking very pale. Olivia remained unmoving as she stared at the girls, but the Doctor was glancing between them and the mirror, noticing that they didn't have reflections.

"How are you _doing_ that?!" the Doctor chirped. "I…am…_loving it_! You're like Houdini, only five, slightly scary girls. And he was shorter…_will_ _be_ shorter."

"Doctor, you're rambling," Olivia reported as he took a few steps closer to the girls and Olivia glanced in the mirror to see that they really didn't have any reflections before she stepped up next to him.

"I'll ask you again, Signor. Who are you?" the girls asked in unison.

"Why don't you check…_this_ out?" the Doctor replied, pulling out a wallet and showing it off to them.

The girls frowned at it, making him frown in return before he looked at it and Olivia frowned at the picture on it as well.

"Is that _you_?" she frowned, taking the thing and looking at it, recognizing it as one of the first face the Atraxi had viewed after his recent regeneration. "This one shows your age, huh?"

"Library card," the Doctor noticed then realized, "Of _course_, it's with…"

He gestured a large nose and took the wallet back from Olivia as she giggled, knowing her meant Rory.

"You need a spare," she smiled. "Maybe I could have one?"

"I can only imagine what trouble you could do with Psychic Paper," the Doctor shot back, tucking his library card away before looking back at the girls. "Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen in…"

"Oh, my god," Olivia murmured in realization, her eyes widening at the girls. "Doctor, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I dunno. Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" the Doctor replied, making her frown at him but he only looked to the girls, continuing, "But the city. Why shut down the city? Unless—"

"Leave now, Signor, or we shall call for the steward…if you're lucky."

"Ooh!" the Doctor smirked.

"I don't think they mean that the way _I_ would mean it, darling," Olivia retorted.

The girls hissed, baring strange, pointed teeth.

"See?! Come on!" Olivia shouted and grabbed his hand to pull him toward the stairs but he stopped to turn at the bottom of them, Olivia losing her grip on him as she stopped a few steps up to watch him.

"Tell me the whole plan!" he demanded as the girls approached them, Olivia frowning at the back of his head incredulously.

"Doctor!" she shouted when he waited for their response but they only slowly made their way toward them.

"One day that'll work," he muttered, slowly making his way up the stairs backwards as Olivia kept a lookout for anyone else and he explained to the girls, "Listen, I would love to stay here. This whole thing…I'm thrilled. Oh, this is Christmas!"

"Doctor, if you don't start moving, I'll—!"

"Well, what are you waitin' for, Liv! Shift before they catch us!" the Doctor urged, grabbing her hand to drag her up the stairs again.

As soon as they reached the streets they made their way back to the place they'd split up where they had told Aaron to meet them. To their surprise, Amy and Rory were racing toward them and Aaron glanced between the two couples but Olivia grabbed his arms, staring at him with wide eyes as Amy and the Doctor mirrored their stance, all talking at once.

"Olivia, what happened?!"

"Doctor! We just saw a vampire!"

"Liv and I just met some vampires!"

"Oh, my god, Aaron! _Vampires_!"

"Vampires in Venice!" they all shouted to each other, all jumping giddily.

Rory finally caught up and panted, "We think we just saw a vampire!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the Doctor replied. "Amy was just telling me."

"The Doctor and Olivia actually went to their house," Amy laughed, hugging the Doctor and Olivia let go of Aaron to hold his hand as Amy stepped away.

"Ok," the Doctor chirped, patting Rory's face before pacing. "So…first we need to get back in there somehow."

"What?!" Rory chirped.

"How do we do that?" Amy wondered.

"Back in where?" Aaron frowned, glancing around at all of them.

"Come and meet my new friend," the Doctor urged, throwing his arm around Olivia's neck to pull her with him as he walked off.

* * *

_Guido's Home..._

"As you saw, there's no clear way in," Guido explained, showing the map of Venice. "The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself but I hit a trapdoor."

"You need someone on the inside," Amy smirked, leaning on the table next to the Doctor.

"No," the Doctor and Olivia replied at the same time, hearing her tone as they both looked at the map and Amy frowned at them.

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" Amy argued.

"That we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in," the Doctor replied, casually.

"Oh," she chirped. "So you _do_ know what I was gonna say."

"Are you insane?" Rory snapped, sitting with Aaron near a pile of barrels.

"We don't have another option," Amy nearly sang.

"He said no, Amy," Rory reminded her, sternly. "Listen to him."

"There _is_ another option," Guido explained, catching everyone's attention and he pointed to the pile of barrels where the two men were sitting, making them frown and the Doctor stepped toward the barrels. "I work at the arsenale. We build the warships for the Navy."

"Is that…?"

"Gunpowder," the Doctor answered Olivia's question.

"Holy crap, I'm sitting on _gunpowder_?!" Aaron chirped, standing to shuffle away and lean on the far wall where the fireplace blazed.

"Most people just nick stationary from where they work," the Doctor smirked, leaning on one of Rory's shoulders who was staring wide eyes at Guido before he shuffled away from the pile as well to stand with Aaron when the Doctor stepped away from him. "Look, I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosive."

"What do you suggest, then?" Guido snapped, turning to the fire. "We wait until they turn her into an animal?"

"Well, since it looks like there really _is_ no other option, _I_ could always go in there," Olivia smiled, flipping some of her hair and winking at the Doctor. "I've still got my youthful looks."

"No, Olivia," Aaron scolded. "If he's not letting Amy go he sure as _hell_ isn't gonna let _you_ go, right? Doctor?"

"I'll be in there three…maybe _four_ hours, max," Olivia told the Doctor as he smirked at her in admiration at her lack of fear this time.

"Doctor?" Aaron urged when he still didn't speak and Olivia could tell he was considering it. "Doctor!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor finally replied, turning away from Olivia to pace. "It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go."

Olivia smirked and looked to Amy with a wink as the Doctor sat on the cot in the room and rubbed his face.

"But I have to know," the Doctor muttered, sitting up. "We go together. Say you're my daughter."

"What?!" Aaron snapped before marching toward Olivia. "You are _not_ doin' this, Olivia. It's _way_ too dangerous."

"Your _daughter_?" Olivia frowned incredulously, ignoring Aaron. "You look _nine_."

"Brother, then," the Doctor shrugged.

"You might as well send _Aaron_ with me if we're gonna say _that_," Olivia shot back before glancing at Aaron then back at the Doctor with a smile, continuing, "In fact, they've already _seen you_. Aaron _should_ do it. We'll say _he's_ my brother."

"But…didn't they see _you_, too?" Rory wondered.

"They only paid attention to _him_, as usual," Olivia shrugged.

"This whole _thing_ is insane!" Aaron snapped, glancing around at everyone. "Why are we talking about this?! They're _vampires_, for God's sake!"

"We hope," the Doctor blurted, sending everyone's eyes to him.

"So if they're not vampires…?" Amy wondered, trailing off.

"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire," the Doctor replied, baring his teeth as he said the last word, making Olivia giggle.

"Well, whatever they are, Olivia's not going in there," Aaron snapped. "She may not be Daniel but that is _certainly_ a lion's den, and she's _not_ doin' it! Send Amy."

"No!" Rory replied. "No, no! She's not goin' in there."

"Why shouldn't I?!" Amy argued at Rory. "I could handle it!"

"Doctor, you better make a decision," Olivia warned, making him look up at her as she stepped toward him to stand in front of him. "Me or Amy?"

Aaron shot his gaze to them, hearing Olivia's tone and watching the Doctor stare at her as he stood. He glanced around at the people in the room before gripping her arm and pulling her outside the door of the small room, but still murmured low.

"That was a loaded question if I ever heard one, Liv," he murmured, their gazes locked. "What is it you _really_ want to ask me?"

"Just what I asked," she replied. "Are you gonna send me or Amy in there?"

The Doctor looked deep into her jade eyes before asking, "Why do I get the feeling our relationship hangs on my decision?"

"Oh, so we _do_ have a relationship?"

"Olivia, that's not fair."

"Look, you've always been vague and mysterious, but since your regeneration, I've been having a bit of difficulty figuring out up from down here. First River, then your make-out session with Amy—"

"Amy's a friend."

"Oh, yeah, and me and Aaron often share a snog behind his boyfriend's back once in a while. You know how many times I've heard Jack call Ianto his 'friend'?"

"Olivia Felton, I am _not_ Jack Harkness!" the Doctor hissed.

"Well, with all the women running around you, it's hard to tell the difference lately!" Olivia snapped back.

"Liv," he sighed, lowering his head into his hand to rub his eyes. "I thought we'd gotten over this."

"We were," she confirmed, making him look up at her with wide eyes. "Then I had time to think about it."

"Remind me never to let you think again."

"Just make your decision, Doctor."

He looked at her with slight surprise then voiced his thoughts by asking, "Why didn't you call me Theta like you usually do?"

"Because Aaron's at the door."

"What?"

Olivia shoved the door open roughly, still looking at the Doctor and he jumped when a thud sounded, looking to the door as it swung back toward them.

"Ow!" Aaron hissed on the other side of the door and the Doctor couldn't help but chuckle before looking back at Olivia who only waited for his decision.

"Fine," he sighed, sharply. "You and Aaron can go in, but you be careful. Understand?"

Olivia only nodded and was about to head through the door but he blocked her path, making her frown up at him.

"Liv, you know I love you," he whispered, his gaze meeting hers and his hearts leapt when her gaze softened and she gave a smile, lifting a hand to his cheek to stroke it before standing on her tiptoes to press a tender kiss to his lips.

"I love you too, Theta," she whispered, making him smile. "And if you let her kiss you again, I'll shove my Sonic up your—"

"And there you are," the Doctor cut in, throwing an arm around her neck to turn her into the room. "Back to your old self. Thank goodness."

* * *

_Calvierri House..._

"Both our parents are dead from the plague," Aaron explained to Signora Calvierri and her son, Olivia next to him and both of them wearing peasants clothing. "I'm a gondola…driver. Basically we're poor, and I really just want the best for my sister, Olivia. So having her come to this special school would be great."

"Carlo, explain yourself," Signora Calvierri questioned her steward from her spot on the throne as the man with her, Francesco, approached the two, making Olivia's eyes widen at him. "Why have you brought me this imbecile?"

"Signora, they have references from his Majesty the King of Sweden," Carlo replied as Olivia kept her eyes on Francesco when he came up next to her, examining her face.

"What?" Signora Calvierri chirped, staring wide eyes at the pair as Aaron fumbled with the Psychic Paper in his hand and she lifted a graceful hand to him in a fluid gesture, saying, "Let me see?"

Aaron swallowed and stepped toward her to hand the paper to her, making sure he was thinking of what he wanted her to see, as the Doctor and Olivia had instructed him. Francesco circled Olivia as Aaron stepped toward the Signora and Olivia held his gaze, confidently, but her heart thumped in her chest, nervously.

"Well, now I see what got my steward so excited," Signora Calvierri smiled, handing the paper back to Aaron. "What say you, Francesco? Do you like her?"

Olivia swallowed as Aaron turned to head back to Olivia as Francesco still stared at her.

"Oh, I do, mother," Francesco nearly breathed and Aaron didn't like the way he was looking at her. "I do."

"Then we'd be _delighted_ to accept her," Signora Calvierri smiled, smoothly then looked to Aaron. "Say goodbye to your sister."

Olivia finally looked away from Francesco to look at Aaron, reaching for his hand to give it a quick squeeze before Carlo pulled him to the door to the side.

"Tell Uncle John I'll see you all really soon," Olivia called, almost desperately as she watched him being dragged away. "Tell him I love him and…I'll be fine."

She tried smiling, but her stomach was turning nervously. She reminded herself she'd volunteered for this, but it didn't make it any less frightening. She looked to Carlo when he tapped her arm and gestured that she follow him. She bowed her head in submission and followed him through the house, bowing her head lower when she saw some of the girls she'd seen earlier, making sure her hair fell over her face. She was led up a flight of stairs, frowning when she passed nothing but pale girls with sunken eyes, high hair and all wearing nightdresses…then she was in a room full of beds.

"There are clothes on the bed," Carlo explained when she looked to a bed with a nightdress laid on it. "Get changed and wait here."

She looked up as he walked out and gave a long whistle.

"If this isn't a private school I dunno what is," she sighed before stepping around the bed and noticed a girl sitting on her own bed as the other girls left the room. "Hi. I'm Olivia. What's your name?"

"Isabella," she replied, and Olivia quickly recognized that as the name of Guido's daughter. She bit her lip in thought and rushed to her side, noticing she wasn't as far gone as the other girls.

"Listen, we're gonna get out of here," she murmured low in case anyone was listening. "But I need you to tell me what's happening here. What _is_ this place? What do they do?"

Isabella stared at her in shock, her breath quickening before she gathered her thoughts and replying, "They…They come at night. They gather around my bed and they…they take me to a room with this green light and a chair with…with straps, as if for a surgeon."

Olivia saw the fear in her eyes and took one of her hands as they sat in her lap before whispering, "What happens in there?"

Isabella only shook her head, silently indicating she didn't know as she breathed, "I wake up here. And the sunlight burns my skin like candle wax."

"Isabella," Olivia whispered, drawing her gaze back to hers and she smiled, "We're gonna get out of this, ok? I have a friend that's gonna help us. He's…brilliant."

Isabella nodded but Olivia frowned, catching something on the side of her neck. She gently took her chin into her hand and craned her neck up slightly, leaning sideways to see two puncture marks in her neck and Olivia took in a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart.

She patted Isabella's hand and quickly changed then told Isabella she'd be back, lighting a candle and starting to head through the house to find the trapdoor Guido had told them about. She found it in the center of a courtyard and quickly unlocked it before turning to head back into the house. Olivia screamed when she turned to see Carlo behind her, dropping the candle in its holder with a crash and everything went dark.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Guido drove the Gondola with Aaron, the Doctor, Rory and Amy inside toward the back gate of the Calvierri house, the Doctor and Aaron sitting next to each other and Aaron's leg going a mile a minute in nervousness.

"She'll be fine," the Doctor assured him.

"We should've _never_ let her go by herself," Aaron muttered. "We should've sent Amy with her or figured out how one of us could get in there with her. Not like this. What if something goes wrong? What if she gets caught?!"

"Aaron," Amy called, making him turn around to look at her over his shoulder as she smiled, "She'll be fine. I've seen her get through things you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I believe it," Aaron nodded before turning ahead again. "I just worry."

"We're here," Guido told them as everything went darker, the Doctor lighting a torch and climbing up with Aaron and Rory right behind him, Amy about to follow, but the Doctor turned to her.

"Amy, I need you to stay here and keep Guido company," he instructed. "It's too many people already with the three of us. Stay here, yes?"

"But I—!"

"I'll stay too," Aaron offered, climbing back into the gondola. "I have a feeling I'm a little too emotionally compromised for this part."

"Good lad," the Doctor grinned before turning to Rory and nodding him up the stairs toward the door. "Right. Ok, I'll go first. If anything happens to me, go back."

"What happened?" Rory questioned, making them both pause halfway up the stairs before they continued and he explained, "Between you and Amy? You said she kissed you!"

"Now?" the Doctor whispered, harshly. "You wanna do this _now_?!"

"I have a right to know!" Rory snapped back as they reached the door. "I'm getting married in four hundred and thirty years!"

"And I thought Olivia was the only one who argued when we're in the middle of a dangerous situation," the Doctor muttered, opening the door and heading down the hall. "Look, Rory, she was frightened. _I_ was frightened. But we _survived_, you know, and the relief of it and…so she kissed me."

"And _you_ kissed her back?" Rory assumed.

"No. I kissed her mouth," the Doctor replied, both still heading down the dark hall. "Olivia was not happy with _any_ of it. You're lucky Amy's still alive, Rory. Very, _very_ lucky."

He stopped and looked to Rory.

"She kissed me because I was there," he explained. "It would've been you. It _should've_ been _you_."

"Yeah, it should've been _me_," Rory agreed as they headed down the trail again.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "That's why I brought you here." A gust of wind blew out the torch the Doctor was holding before he whispered, "Can we go and see the vampires now, please?"

They made their way through the tunnel and found a dead end with moonlight streaming through the grating of the door above them and the Doctor looked to Rory.

"Give us a boost, then," the Doctor said, making Rory sigh before he hoisted the Doctor to let him climb onto his shoulders to push the door open. The Doctor struggled to shove the heavy metal door open before climbing out with Rory's help.

"Push!"

"I'm pushing!"

The Doctor climbed out and reached into the hole to help Rory out as well, and when he was up and out enough to pull himself out the Doctor left him to look around the dark and open courtyard.

"Liv?!" he whispered, looking around. "Where's Liv? Olivia?! I can't see a thing."

"Just as well I brought this, then," Rory panted from climbing out of the hole and reached into his pocket for a small, battery powered torch. The Doctor, however pulled out a longer, brighter light.

"Ultraviolet. Portable sunlight."

"Yours is bigger than mine."

"Let's not go there."

The Doctor turned to search around every nook and cranny of the open space in search for Olivia, calling out for her.

"If we cancel now, we'll lose the deposit on the village hall!" Rory complained. "The Salsa band!"

The Doctor went to one of the trunks lining the perimeter of the courtyard and opened it as Rory approached as well. He shouted in fright and took a step back when they found a corpse in the trunk, a hand sticking out over the edge, its skin blackened and its mouth open to show off fangs.

"What happened to them?" Rory whispered, making the Doctor look away from it to him over his shoulder before looking back at the corpse again.

"They've had all the moisture taken out of them."

"That's what vampires do, right? They drink your blood and replace it with their own."

"Yeah, except these people haven't just had their blood taken, but all the water in their entire bodies."

"Why did they die? Why aren't they like the girls in the school?"

The Doctor looked back at him in thought before replying, "Maybe not everyone survives the process."

"It could've been Amy in there if Olivia hadn't volunteered."

"Yeah, well it's not."

"But it _could've been_!" Rory snapped, making the Doctor stand slowly as he watched Rory start to pace away from him before turning back to the Doctor. "You know what's dangerous about you? It's not that you make people take risks. It's that you make them want to _impress_ you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around."

The Doctor marched toward him, glaring at him the entire time until he was an inch from his face, but Rory stared him down.

"Amy is safe," the Doctor ground out. "It's _my_ lover that's in trouble now! You don't think I don't know what I've done to her?! I _certainly_ don't want that to happen to anyone else. Not _you_, not _Amy_, and not Aaron over there either!"

"Who are you?"

They both turned to see the group of girls, baring their fangs and coming toward them, hissing. The Doctor used the UV torch to make a path for them and heading toward a door, the girls running after them.

"We should run! _Run_!"

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	20. A Name to Remember

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 20: A Name to Remember**_

"Control yourself, child!" Carlo growled at Olivia when she struggled against his hold on her as he dragged her down a flight of dark stairs where a light green glow could be seen at the end.

"Take your hands off me!" Olivia growled back, kicking and thrashing to be free. "Let me go!"

"Psychic paper," a familiar voice called as she was pulled into the room and the light blasted a brighter green with a zapping sound that she was sure was computerized. Was she in a ship? She remained silent as Signora Calvierri glared at her, questioning, "Did you really think that would work on me?"

Olivia said nothing as she glared back at the woman.

"Where are you from?" Calvierri questioned her, stalking around her as Carlo pulled her back, still gripping her arms from behind and Olivia struggled again to be free. "Did you fall through the chasm?"

"Mother," Francesco called, coming up next to Olivia and Carlo. "This is pointless. Let's just start the process."

"Hold your tongue, Francesco!" Rosanna snapped, still glaring at Olivia who only glared back when Francesco disappeared. "I need to know what this girl is doing in the world of savages with Psychic Paper. Who are you with?"

Olivia's eyes widened when she saw two of the girls in the room bring the chair Isabella had described to the center of the room and her struggled became more urgent as she still said nothing.

"See, I scarcely believe your idiot brother sent you," Rosanna continued as the group around her prepared for whatever process Francesco had been talking about. "And what are you doing in my school?"

"Ok, ok," Olivia breathed, glancing around at everything and everyone in the room. "You got me. I'm from Cardiff."

Rosanna laughed heartily before ordering Carlo, "Put her in the chair."

"No!" Olivia shouted and growled, struggling again to be free but somehow Carlo was overpowering her and shoving her into the chair, the girls strapping her arms down to the armrests. "Let me go! You'll be sorry you did this!"

"Oh, make sport of me will you?" Rosanna called as Olivia still struggled. "_Tease_ me as if I were your dog? Well, _this_ dog has a bite, girl."

Olivia cringed when Francesco's hands came to her face and hair to pull her head back, craning her neck so that it was visible and her eyes widened when Rosanna was suddenly facing her with fangs. She struggled to be free at least of Francesco's hold to protect her neck, but it was no use as she watched in terror as Rosanna came closer.

"_Doctor_!" she screamed before screaming again when she felt Rosanna's teeth sink into her throat.

It hurt, like two needles stabbing into her flesh and then she felt like she was being drained of her energy. Her struggling became weaker and weaker and when Rosanna pulled away, she felt so tired as if she'd just run a thousand miles. Everything around her was blurry but she still had most of her senses and she felt like she needed water. She was so thirsty.

"Mother," Francesco called, kneeling next to Olivia as she let her head hang to the side now, unable to hold it up, his hands caressing the punctures on her neck. "When you drink from her, may we share? I'm so thirsty."

Olivia was aware of what they said, but was too weak to even move her mouth to say what was on her mind. If she had the energy she would've made it perfectly clear that she was _not_ a canteen to be drained dry.

"Of course, darling," Rosanna replied, breathlessly. She sounded high, Olivia noticed but could say nothing as she looked up at her blurry image. "This is how it works. First, we drink you till you're dry. Then…we fill you with _our_ blood. It rages through you like a fire, changing you, until one morning you're awake and your humanity is a dream…now faded."

"Or you die," Francesco added, pulling some of Olivia's hair from her neck as he chuckled. "That can happen."

"And…if I survive?" Olivia asked, finding some sort of strength to ask the question.

"Then there are ten thousand husbands waiting for you in the water," Rosanna smiled, standing nearer to Olivia.

"Hate to break it to you," she replied, weakly and couldn't help but notice something shiny and metallic peeking out from her skirts. "I'm kind of spoken for."

Olivia summoned up all her strength into her legs and lifted one to kick at her, feeling her foot hit something hard and an electronic frizzing sound filled the air. She gasped when Francesco's arm came around her neck to keep her from moving any more as she stared at the shocked and disbelieving Rosanna before her image faded. Olivia's eyes widened when the woman was suddenly now an over grown, humanoid fish. The image of Rosanna Calvierri returned and glared at Olivia in anger before they all heard noises from outside.

"Rory, come on!" she heard the Doctor's voice but said nothing as Rosanna and the others marched out of the room. She felt her strength return and rolled her eyes when she heard the Doctor say, "Cab for Olivia Felton?"

She struggled to be free, but couldn't get out of the restraints even at full strength. She screamed in surprise when a pair of hands came to one of her wrists, but calmed herself when she recognized Isabella.

"She bit me!" Olivia breathed as Isabella scrambled to free her. "I've been bitten by a lady vampire! I thought guys went after girls and girls went after guys! I didn't know it was _unisex_!"

Olivia was soon free and she grabbed Isabella's hand as she launched out of the chair and down the hall, hearing Rosanna say, "This rescue plan, not exactly watertight, is it?"

"Doctor!" Olivia called as she entered the hallway where the Doctor and Rory seemed to be trapped between Rosanna, Francesco, and Carlo on one side and the girls from the school on the other. The Doctor waved his UV torch at the girls before turning his attention to Olivia and Isabella as they approached. "Doctor!"

"Olivia!"

"Quickly! Through here!" Isabella called, leading them through the house to find a way out.

They all made their way back the way Rory and the Doctor came as Olivia reported, "They're not vampires."

"What?" Rory chirped as the Doctor used the Sonic behind them for what she didn't know.

"I broke her Perception Filter and I saw her," Olivia replied. "They're not vampires! They're _aliens_!"

She and the Doctor laughed as they continued moving and the Doctor smirked, "Classic! That's good news!"

"What is _wrong_ with you people?!" Rory shouted just as they ran into the hallway, hearing the group behind them coming after them. They soon reached the door and Isabella made sure that everyone got out past her, but when she went to follow, the rising sun shined directly on her and she cringed.

"No!" Olivia screamed, hurrying back to the door with the Doctor right behind her. "Isabella, come on! Just run!"

"I can't!" Isabella shouted as Francesco and the girls pulled her back through the door and the Doctor tried to get the door open as Olivia pounded on it in vain. She stepped back as it shut, but the Doctor was still touching the door and when it shut, an electric current ran through it, shocking him and making him seize until her let go. Olivia screamed as she watched him fall against the railing of the stairs then slide down a few steps to fall onto his back and she knelt next to him.

"Doctor!" she cried, kneeling next to him as Rory stood at his feet, Amy and Aaron rushing up the stairs when they saw him fall.

"Is he dead?" Amy asked shortly, closing her eyes as if to pray that he wasn't.

"No, he's just unconscious," Olivia breathed back, not looking away from his sleeping face. "He's breathing."

"Let's get him into the boat," Aaron advised and Olivia placed a quick kiss to his forehead before Aaron and Rory hoisted him down the stairs and into the gondola where a disappointed Guido stood.

"I'm so sorry," Olivia murmured to him as the men passed with Amy. "She helped us get out of there. Without her, we wouldn't have escaped. She was very brave."

He nodded as he stepped into the gondola. She knew it wouldn't do much for the father's aching heart, but she felt she needed to say it. It _was_ brave, and he needed to know that his daughter had been brave within the walls of this fortress she was trapped in.

* * *

_Later..._

"Are you sure about this, Theta?" Olivia whispered as she stood next to him where he sat in the main hall of the Calvierri house, sitting in Rosanna's throne.

"We have to give her a chance, Liv," he reminded her, drumming his fingers on the armrest.

Olivia sighed, looking around the empty room before smirking down at him and strolling in front of him to plop sideways onto his lap, making him jump and look at her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Liv, what are you—?"

"I'm glad you're ok," she murmured through a smile, making him smile in return.

"I'm glad you're alright too, Liv," he smiled, hugging her before she shifted to sit on one of his knees when the door ahead of them opened and Signora Calvierri stepped in, making the Doctor give a mocking wolf whistle.

"Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you…Sister of the Water?" he asked, having figured out what they were by Olivia's description as Rosanna stopped in the center of the room, staring at the pair in her throne.

"No, let me guess," she began, glancing to Olivia. "The owner of the Psychic Paper. Then I take it you're a refugee, like me."

The Doctor smirked at her, tapping Olivia's leg to signal her to stand. She did as she was told and sat on the armrest to lean her arm over his shoulders as he stayed in the chair, saying, "I'll make you a deal: An answer for an answer."

Rosanna nodded with a smirk as she began slowly pacing closer to them.

"You're using a Perception Filter," he began. "It doesn't change your features, but manipulates the brainwaves of the person looking at you. But seeing one of you for the first time in, say, a mirror the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with, so leaves it blank…"

"Hence no reflection," Olivia summarized with a smirk.

"Your question?" Rosanna wondered.

"Why can we see your big teeth?" the Doctor blurted, making Olivia giggle as Rosanna laughed, heartily before giving her answer.

"Self-preservation overrides the mirage. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain."

"Where's Isabella?" Olivia asked, calmly as she glared at Rosanna, the Doctor setting a hand on her knee to _keep_ her calm.

"My turn," Rosanna reminded her with a smile. "Where are you from?"

"Gallifrey," the Doctor replied as Olivia still stared at Rosanna.

"You two should be in a museum," Rosanna smirked, making the Doctor huff with a smile. "Or in a mausoleum."

"Him, maybe, but not me," Olivia replied with a wry smile. "I'm human."

"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked Rosanna, and this seem to make her playful attitude disappear.

"We ran from the Silence," she replied, making Olivia straighten on the armrest as she recalled hearing that word before. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Wedding present," the Doctor blurted. "The Silence?"

Rosanna still paced slowly toward them, pausing before she answered, "There were cracks. Some were tiny…some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people and through others we saw Silence…and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean like ours…and the cracks snapped shut behind us…and Saturnyne was lost."

"So Earth is to become Saturnyne Mark Two?" the Doctor guessed as Rosanna now stood before him and she shot her gaze to him, almost desperately.

"And you can help me," she offered, making Olivia give a laugh as she looked to the Doctor who couldn't help but smirk at Rosanna who smiled, "We can build a new society here, as others have. What do you say?"

The Doctor hummed before standing and heading toward Rosanna to stand in front of her, Olivia right next to him as he looked over the woman in front of him.

"Ask your question, Liv," he told her as he circled Rosanna and Olivia stepped right in front of her with a burning glare in her jade eyes.

"Where's Isabella?" she ground out, making Rosanna frown as she glanced to the Doctor before looking back at Olivia.

"Isabella?" she echoed in wonder, making Olivia's glare burn hotter.

"The girl who saved me," she snapped as the Doctor stopped behind Rosanna, glaring at her as well as she took a moment to think before she answered.

"Oh, deserters must be executed," Rosanna replied, matter-of-factly, making Olivia's glare drop to a wide-eyed stare of disbelief and horror. "Any general will tell you that."

"Doctor, let me hit her," Olivia ground out, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at Rosanna, but the Doctor was next to her in a flash, pulling her back from Rosanna enough so that she didn't do anything rash.

"I need an answer, Doctor," Rosanna told him, ignoring Olivia's rage as she still glared at her, the Doctor holding her wrist to keep her at bay as he stared at Rosanna who took a step closer to him. "A partnership. Any which way you choose."

"Can I hit her _now_?" Olivia ground out again, realizing what she was offering and feeling her emotions boil over even more.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, do you?" the Doctor replied calmly, addressing Rosanna. "I'm a Time Lord…you're a big fish. Think of the children. And besides…I'm spoken for."

He pulled Olivia under his arm, making Olivia smirk smugly at Rosanna who glared at her before calling for her steward.

"You're right," Rosanna conceded as Carlo entered. "We're nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race, while _you_ philosophize."

"This ends today," the Doctor said, calmly as he lowered his arm from Olivia's shoulder to take her hand, Carlo approaching them, but he only looked Rosanna in the eye. "I will tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone."

Carlo moved to push him away from Rosanna but the Doctor shoved his hands away just as roughly, his gaze never leaving her.

"I'd keep your hands off him, Carlo," Olivia warned before the Doctor turned, still holding her hand to head toward the side door leading out of the house, Carlo escorting them, but he stopped when he reached the door to turn to Rosanna again.

"And you know why?" he questioned. "You didn't know Isabella's _name_."

"You didn't know her name," Olivia echoed through gritted teeth as the door was opened and the Doctor pulled Olivia with him out the door and toward the gates that the guards opened for them.

"Now what, Theta?" Olivia wondered as he pulled her through the walkways of Venice toward Guido's home.

"Now…" he trailed off before he stopped them and pushed her under an archway, making her frown at him in confusion as he pulled his Sonic Screwdriver from his jacket. "Now we fix those bites on your neck."

"With the Sonic?" she blurted with a blank stare as he pulled her hair back from her neck. "Seriously? I get the sonic waves loosening a splinter out, but healing? Really?"

"Really," he nodded, aiming it at her neck. "New Sonic, new rules."

She couldn't help but giggle as he aimed the Sonic at the puncture marks on her neck and the distinct hum sounded.

"That tickles!"

"Hold still, Liv!" the Doctor smiled, keeping his eye on her neck before pulling the Sonic away and snapping it open to look over the result. "You're fine. But no more getting bitten, alright? Unless _I'm_ the one doing the biting."

"Oh, of course, lover," Olivia smirked, making him smirk back at her before he turned to head down the street again but she stopped him by tugging on his hand to pull him back.

"Liv? What's wrong?" he frowned, stepping back toward her.

"It's still a little sore," she pouted slightly, tilting her head and tapping the place where the bite mark had been, pointedly. "I think it needs a kiss from a Doctor, don't you?"

"Liv, we don't have time for…Oh, bloody hell. Why not?"

Olivia giggled as the Doctor pinned her up against the wall of the archway and planted his lips to her neck as she wrapped her arms around him, still giggling. After a moment he pulled away and grinned at her as she lifted a hand to stroke some of his wild hair back.

"You left a hickey, didn't you?" she guessed, still smiling and he nodded hugely and vigorously. "And you're _very_ proud of it, aren't you?"

"Oh, of course, Liv," he still grinned. "Need you ask? Now, come along. We've got to get back before they start worrying about us."

* * *

_Later in Guido's Home..._

"I need to think!" the Doctor ground out at himself, pacing the width of the table where they all sat, Amy and Rory facing each other at one end, Guido next to Rory and Olivia next to Guido with Aaron sitting in front of her as sunlight poured through the windows. "Come on, brain, think, think, _think_!"

"What the heck is that on your neck?" Aaron asked, leaning closer to Olivia over the table.

"Nothing," she muttered, adjusting her hair and placing her hand over the hickey for good measure as a light blush covered her cheeks. "I fell."

"Yeah, right on the Doctor's lips, I'll bet," Aaron smirked, knowingly as the Doctor sat at the head of the table between Amy and Rory, still trying to think as Olivia glared at Aaron.

"If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun," Amy brought out, her speech slightly slurred at the treat the Doctor had given her when they arrived. Where he'd gotten it Olivia didn't recall, but it seemed Amy didn't care or felt she had no choice but to eat it.

"Stop talking. Brain thinking. Hush," the Doctor ordered, placing a hand over her mouth.

"It's the school thing that I don't understand," Rory chimed in.

"Stop talking. Brain thinking. Hush," the Doctor ordered again, placing a hand over his mouth as well.

"I say we take the fight to _them_," Guido piped up.

"Ah, ah, ah!" the Doctor interrupted him with a warning look.

"What?"

"Ah!"

"Let me," Olivia sighed, lifting a hand and placing it over Guido's mouth when he looked at her and the Doctor nodded his thanks to her.

"Her planet dies," the Doctor began, nearly everyone's mouth covered. "So they flee through a crack in space and time, and end up here, then she closes off the city and, one by one, starts changing the people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool. Got it, but then _what_? They come from the sea. They can't survive forever on land, so what's she gonna do?"

The Doctor was silent for a moment as it seemed everyone was thinking and Aaron raised his hand, catching the Doctor's attention. He nodded to him and Aaron lowered his hand again as Olivia frowned at him.

"Maybe, she's gonna do something to the environment to make the city habitable?" he suggested and Olivia looked to the Doctor, catching his attention.

"Bend the heavens," she recalled with a smirk. "She said 'I shall bend the heavens to save my race.' Aaron's right."

"Bend the heavens…" the Doctor repeated, placing his hands on Rory's and Amy heads to move them forward then back before he realized, "She's going to sink Venice."

"She…She's going to sink Venice?" Guido echoed as Olivia lowered her hand from his mouth when the Doctor lowered his from Amy's and Rory's heads.

"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed," the Doctor confirmed, bowing his head to the table in disbelief.

"You can't repopulate somewhere with just _women_," Rory replied. "You need…blokes."

"God, it's my worst nightmare," Aaron muttered. "A city full of _women_ only."

Olivia leaned over the table and smacked Aaron upside the head making him call out in pain and hold his head where she'd hit him just as Olivia's eyes widened when she realized something, looking to the Doctor.

"She's _got_ blokes!" she recalled, making all eyes shoot to her.

"Where?" the Doctor questioned.

"In the canal. She told me there were ten thousand husbands waiting in the water if I survived the process."

"Only the _male_ offspring survived the journey here," the Doctor theorized. "She's got ten thousand children swimming around the canals, waiting for mum to make them some compatible girlfriends."

"Talk about an arranged marriage," Olivia sneered, making the Doctor nod and sneer as well before they all jumped at the sound of clattering above their heads.

"The people upstairs are very noisy," the Doctor chuckled as the others kept their gazes on the ceiling.

"There aren't any people upstairs," Guido corrected.

"See? I _knew_ you were gonna say that," the Doctor replied before looking between everyone at the table. "Did anyone else know he was gonna say that?"

"I did," Olivia groaned as the eerie creaking continued.

"I had a feeling," Aaron added as everyone staring at the ceiling.

"Is it the vampires?" Rory whispered.

"Like I said, they're not vampires," the Doctor corrected, pulling out his UV torch and lighting it. "Fish from space."

Olivia screamed when glass from the window at the end of the table she was closest to shattered, and everyone looked around at the windows with wide eyes as they stood from the table to see the girls from the school surrounding the building.

"Aren't we on the second floor?" Rory recalled just before the girls shattered another window, and the Doctor ran toward it with his torch to keep them at bay.

"Doctor! Be careful!" Olivia called as Aaron pulled her behind him in an attempt to protect her.

The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and aimed it at the girls, making their appearances change instantly to what they truly looked like.

"What's happened to them?" Guido questioned.

"There's nothing left of them," the Doctor explained. "They've been fully converted. Blimey, fish from space have never been so…buxom."

"Come on!" Olivia called, shoving Aaron toward the other exit. "Time to go! Doctor!"

"Coming!" he called, hurrying after Olivia as she followed Rory and Amy toward a set of stairs heading out of the building, Guido right behind the Doctor. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs Olivia heard Guido shout at the Doctor to give him the torch, which he did and Guido used it to keep the girls at bay. "Keep moving!"

"Stay away from the door, Doctor!" Guido shouted, making Olivia whirl around to see the Doctor hurrying back to the door just as it slammed shut.

"No!" the Doctor shouted as Aaron stopped to stare at Olivia, Amy and Rory running ahead. "Guido! What are you doing?!"

"Olivia! Come on!" Aaron called to her as she ran back toward the Doctor, grabbing his arm to pull him away from the door.

"Doctor! He knows what he's doing!" Olivia explained, realizing what Guido was most likely going to do. "Please! Come on!"

"No! I'm not leaving him! Guido! What are you doing?!" the Doctor shouted before pulling the Sonic out again and trying it on the door. "Bolted! _Guido_!"

"Theta, please!" Olivia breathed, pulling on his arm and realization dawned on him just before he let Olivia pull him away from the door.

They reached Aaron just as the door and windows next to it exploded, sending them all to the ground from the blast, smoke and debris fluttering around them. Olivia coughed and groaned in pain from falling on her back onto the concrete as the Doctor managed to pull himself onto all fours, Aaron sitting up and holding his head.

"Oh, my god, are you alright?!" Amy called, leaning over to help Olivia up first then heading to the Doctor as Rory helped Aaron, looking over the small cut on his hairline that was bleeding a bit.

"Fine," Olivia groaned for all of them before looking to the blown door, solemnly as the Doctor stepped toward it as well and they all noted the sky had grown darker.

"Rosanna's initiating the final phase," the Doctor explained.

"We need to stop her," Amy ground out, realizing Guido wasn't with them, and where he had been when the blast went off. "Come on!"

"No, no, no," the Doctor shot back. "Get back to the TARDIS. _All_ of you."

"You can't stop her on your own," Amy insisted as Olivia looked up at him with wide eyes, Rory and Aaron only glancing between the three.

"We don't _discuss_ this!" the Doctor shouted, approaching Amy. "_I_ tell you to do something, Amy, and _you_ do it!"

Amy glared at him before turning and marching away and Rory looked to the Doctor.

"Thank you," he nodded before following her.

"Yeah…you're welcome," the Doctor muttered before looking to Olivia and Aaron, and she knew the look he was giving her.

"I'm not leaving you and don't you even _think_ of using that tone with me," she warned, and the Doctor looked to Aaron with the same look.

"I go where _she_ goes, Doctor," he replied and the Doctor couldn't help but smirk before stepping toward Olivia and taking her hand as she looked up at him in wonder.

"Come along, Felton," he smirked. "We've got some fish from space to fry."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	21. A Danger

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 21: A Danger**_

"Here…again?" Olivia questioned as the Doctor marched across the throne room of the Calvierri house, she and Aaron trailing behind him. "You must have a regeneration wish!"

The Doctor said nothing as he headed toward the throne, Olivia and Aaron stopping at the steps below it and watching him examine the chair. He circled the thing before stepping in front of it and opening the back cushion, showing off some kind of machine inside.

"What the hell is _that_?" Aaron frowned, both he and Olivia running up to the Doctor as he used his Sonic on it.

"My guess is, _that_ is what's making this happen," Olivia replied, both facing him.

"You're too late."

They all whirled around to see Rosanna strolling toward them.

"Such determination," she admired, the Doctor stepping closer, tucking his Sonic away. "Just to save _one_ city. Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to cinders and ash. Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom."

"The girls have gone, Rosanna," the Doctor replied, staring down at her and she stared at him in disbelief, backing away again.

"You're lying," she breathed.

"Shouldn't we be dead?" Olivia wondered, making Rosanna turn her wide-eyed gaze to her and as she realized they _weren't_ lying, she glared between them all before turning to march toward the door.

"Rosanna, please, help me," the Doctor called, making both Aaron and Olivia frown at him, but they said nothing. "There are two hundred thousand people in this city!"

"So save them," she shot back, marching out the door.

"Well, so much for the begging part of our plan," Olivia sighed sharply, watching the Doctor rush back to the chair to examine it. "Now what?"

"We have to figure out what this thing is and stop it from doing what it's doing," he replied, not looking from the thing.

"And how do we do that?" Aaron wondered.

"Not a clue," the Doctor blurted, making Olivia roll her eyes before she turned to march toward the balcony to the direct right of the throne.

"It would help if we knew _where_ this crap was coming from!" she called, finally drawing the Doctor's attention.

"Olivia! Wait!" he shouted, running after her and Aaron turned to looking at the machine in the chair. It may have been alien but he could still _try_ to help.

"Doctor, look!" Olivia called as she leaned on the railing of the balcony staring at the sky when he caught up with her. "The source of these clouds has to be coming from that bell tower. It's the only thing high enough."

The Doctor said nothing as he examined the sky, then the tower, and Olivia could tell he was forming a plan before he grabbed her hand and ran her back into the throne room, only to meet Amy and Rory. He ran past them to the chair where Aaron stood and shoved Aaron and Olivia toward the couple.

"Get out!" he ordered. "I have to stabilize the storm!"

"We're not leaving you!" Rory replied as Aaron and Olivia stumbled toward them, whirling on him as the Doctor circled the throne.

"Right," the Doctor chirped, marching back toward them and glaring at Rory. "So one minute it's all, 'You make people a danger to themselves' and the next it's 'We're not leaving you.' But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets—?"

The room suddenly shook, violently, making them all stumble, but in trying to keep their balance, they all fell to the floor. Chunks of the ceiling came down around them, making them cover their heads until the shaking stopped.

"What was that?" Aaron questioned.

"Nothing," the Doctor lied, standing and helping Olivia to her feet. "Bit of an Earthquake."

"An earthquake?" Amy questioned.

"If you manipulate the elements, it can trigger earthquakes," Olivia explained, helping Aaron stand as Rory and Amy got to their feet.

"But don't worry about them," the Doctor waved it off, stepping toward Amy and Rory.

"No?" Rory wondered.

"Oh, no, Rory," Olivia smirked sarcastically. "Just worry about the tidal waves _caused _ by the earthquake."

"Olivia," Aaron chided. "I'm sure the Doctor has a plan, right Doctor?"

Olivia looked to the Doctor, meeting her gaze before he turned to the throne.

"Right. Rosanna's throne is the control hub, but she's locked the program, so tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne. Go crazy. Hit it with a stick, anything." He ran toward the throne, followed by the four as he ran around the back. "We need it to shut down and re-route control to the secondary hub, which I'm guessing will also be the generator."

Amy, Rory and Aaron began their work as the Doctor ran out of the room, followed by Olivia. He stopped on a flight of stairs and looked at her, opening his mouth to speak.

"If you tell me to go help them, I'm gonna kick you in the shin," she warned before he could say a word.

He shut his mouth and nodded before grabbing her hand and dragging her up the stairs. They reached the bottom of the bell tower to find an alien machine with tubes running up the columns of the tower. He used his Sonic on it as Olivia slapped her hands over her ears and looked up at the bell above them.

"Bell!" she shouted. "Loud!"

"I know!" he shouted back, looking up as well before tucking the Sonic away and grabbing her hand to pull her up the stairs toward the bell. "Come on!"

He ran her up the stairs, both with their free hands over one of their ears. They reached the bell and stared up at it before the Doctor pulled Olivia in front of him and knelt down, entwining his fingers with his palms facing up.

"Get up there and stop it!" he shouted over the tolling.

She placed one of her feet in his hands, balancing on his shoulders and he hoisted her up to reach the pendulum. She shouted in surprise when she grabbed it and swung her sideways, nearly out of the Doctor's grip, but he held tightly to her legs.

"Shut up!" Olivia growled. "Shut the hell up!"

The bell did as she ordered it and she grinned before the Doctor helped her back to her feet, making her smile at him as she landed.

"That's better," he nodded.

He looked around before turning to examine one of the tubes leading up above the bell. Without another word he climbed up next to the column, shuffling around it and making Olivia stare at him with wide eyes as he gripped it.

"Doctor! What are you doing?!" she shouted, running toward him but she didn't dare try to pull him back, out of fear that she would make him fall. She gasped when he stumbled on the railing, nearly falling. "_Theta_!"

She watched as he climbed up to the roof and she looked down to see Amy, Rory and Aaron below. Rain began pouring down, making her pull her head back in and start pacing, not knowing what else to do.

"Come on, come on, come on," she whispered, still pacing.

A moment later the sky cleared and she looked out over the railing again with a grin. She looked down at the three to see them hugging before she looked up, waiting for the Doctor to return. A moment later he was standing in front of her, soaking wet from the rain and grinning down at her.

"You did it!" she grinned as he climbed down and she threw her arms around him, tightly, not caring that he was soaked to the bone. They both laughed and he hugged her tightly before pulling back and grabbing her hand to drag her back toward the house below. "Where are we going?!"

He didn't answer as he only pulled her behind him. She said nothing else and when they reached a door leading to the canal around the house, he let go of her hand and called "Rosanna!"

Olivia stepped next to the Doctor in the doorway to see Rosanna standing at the end of a stone walkway over the water, a gangplank at the end of it, hovering over the water.

"One city to save an entire species," she said, sounding defeated as she stared down at the water. "Was that so much to ask?"

"I told you, you can't go back and change time," he called, stepping toward her, Olivia following him. "You mourn…but you live. I know, Rosanna, I did it."

"Doctor, be careful," she called, softly as they inched toward Rosanna.

"Tell me, Doctor," Rosanna called, turning to look at him over her shoulder with tear filled eyes. "Can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race?"

He said nothing as Olivia swallowed, glancing at him before look back at her.

"Remember us," she requested, looking ahead again. "Dream of us."

"_No_!" he shouted when she fell into the water to be eaten by her own children below. Olivia gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth as she stared at the churning water, the Doctor throwing himself onto the gangplank to help Rosanna, but he knew he was too late. "No!"

"Theta," Olivia shuddered, lowering her hands as she stepped toward him. He stood and turned to her in anguish as she stopped in front of him. "What she said… This wasn't your fault."

"I know, Liv," he nodded before wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. He held her for a moment before kissing her temple and turning her to head back to the door. "Now, let's go find those three troublemakers, eh?"

* * *

_Later..._

"Now, then!" the Doctor grinned, holding Olivia under his arm as they strolled back to the TARDIS, Aaron following with Amy and Rory. "What about _you _two, eh? Next stop, Ledworth registry office? Maybe I can give you away!"

"Actually, we've gotta get Aaron home first, remember?" Olivia reminded him as they reached the TARDIS. "He's gotta pack for Ealing."

"Right," he nodded, pulling the key to the TARDIS to unlock the door. "First Los Angeles, _then_ the registry office."

"No," Rory sighed, making everyone look to him, Amy glancing down at the ground before looking back at him. "It's fine. Drop me back where you found me. I'll just say you've…"

"Stay," Amy smiled when he trailed off, making everyone look to her, Rory looking at her in surprise. "With us. Please. Just for a bit. I _want_ you to stay."

"Fine with me!" the Doctor grinned, looking to Olivia. "Liv?"

"Of course!" she smiled, patting Rory's arm.

"Yeah?" Rory smiled between all of them. "Yes, I would like that."

"Nice one!" Amy grinned before leaving a kiss on Rory's lips. "I will pop the kettle on. Hey, look at this, Olivia! Got our spaceship, got our boys. Our work here is done."

Olivia laughed as Amy dramatically entered the TARDIS.

"Uh…_we_ are _not_ your boys," Rory told Olivia, making her giggle again.

"Yeah, we are," the Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, we are," Rory nodded in defeat before they turned to the door.

"I'm not," Aaron scoffed, making Olivia grin at him as he followed Rory into the TARDIS, but the Doctor stopped Olivia from heading after them.

"Olivia, listen to that," he ordered, making her frown up at him before looking around in wonder.

"What is it?" she whispered. "All I hear is…silence."

"Exactly," he whispered, making her stare at him with wide eyes.

"Rosanna said something about the Silence," she whispered, glancing back at the open door of the TARDIS before looking back at the Doctor. "And Prisoner Zero said it, too. Silence will fall."

"We can talk about this later," he murmured before heading into the TARDIS.

"Theta," she breathed, making him stop and look to her. "I'm scared. What's going on?"

He pulled her into the TARDIS, shutting the door and making sure Amy, Rory and Aaron weren't paying attention as he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers for a tender, comforting kiss.

"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, I promise, love," he whispered as she hugged him closer. "Let's get Aaron back home."

* * *

_Outside the Felton Home..._

"That was _amazing_!" Aaron grinned, jumping out of the TARDIS with Olivia and the Doctor following. "Vampires on my first trip! That's _awesome_!"

"They were space fish, and I'm glad you liked it," Olivia grinned as they all headed toward the door or her house. "I knew you'd have fun."

"I can kinda see your point, Doctor," Aaron told him when they reached the door. "Going on adventures then going back to every day life can be difficult. I don't think it's gonna be _this_ exciting in Ealing."

"Tell you what, Aaron," the Doctor smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets. "When you get there, ask around about a lovely lady named Sarah Jane Smith. And _when_ you find her, tell her the Doctor sent you."

"Is there any one you _don't_ know?" Aaron smirked before turning to open the door but found it locked, making the three frown. "That's…weird."

"Yeah…doesn't your mum usually greet us as soon as we land?" the Doctor frowned at Olivia as she pulled her Sonic from her jacket and pushed past Aaron to unlock the door. The three burst through the door, Olivia's heart thumping in her ears in panic as she shot her gaze around the house.

"Mom!" Olivia shouted before running up the stairs. "You two! Sweep!"

Instantly, Aaron marched toward the living room and the downstairs rooms, the Doctor heading toward the kitchen to look there and into the backyard through the window above the sink. Olivia ran from room to room upstairs, finding everything empty before she raced back down the stairs, meeting the two.

"Anything?" she questioned them.

"Nothing," Aaron replied. "Her car's gone, too."

"Liv, she's probably doing some shopping or went somewhere else," the Doctor assured her as she marched down the rest of the stairs and headed toward the door, he and Aaron following. "We shouldn't panic."

"She doesn't do her shopping on Wednesdays," Aaron replied as they headed toward the TARDIS. "This time of day, she _should_ be here."

"We'll use the tracking system on the TARDIS to find her," Olivia explained.

"Or we could ask her when she pulls all the way up the drive," the Doctor replied, making Olivia stop and look to him then to the car pulling into the driveway. Sure enough, Joyce Felton parked and climbed out of the car…all dressed up.

"Mom?" Olivia called, drawing the woman's wide-eyed attention to them as she locked the car. "What's with the dress?"

"Olivia!" Joyce grinned, running around the car and that's when Olivia noticed the heels on her feet, but before she could question her further, Joyce threw her arms around Olivia. "I'm so glad you're alright! Aaron! You're back! Did you have fun?!"

"Loads," Aaron replied, looking to Olivia's still stunned face as Joyce hugged him tightly before pushing him away to throw her arms around the Doctor.

"Mom," Olivia called again as she stepped back from hugging the Doctor. "Where were you?"

"Oh, just doing some shopping, that's all," Joyce shrugged before grinning, "Ooh! I have some cookies I baked yesterday! Come in and we'll have some!"

"Since when do you go shopping dressed like a Stepford Wife?!" Olivia squeaked, making Joyce purse her lips and clear her throat before turning to head toward the house. Aaron's eyes widened as his jaw dropped, making Olivia and the Doctor look to him in wonder. "What's the matter with _you_, Aaron?"

"You went out with Shane, didn't you?!" Aaron called, making Olivia and the Doctor look to Joyce just as her steps faltered but she didn't reply or turn.

"Who the hell is Shane?!" Olivia called as Aaron began laughing as she looked to him with a burning jade gaze. "Aaron! Explain yourself!"

"Shane is the manager at the store!" Aaron laughed, making Olivia's jaw drop as she looked to her mother retreating into the house. "He's an ex S.E.A.L.!"

"Mom!" Olivia called, running toward the door as Aaron continued laughing and the Doctor scoffed, shaking his head at her.

"You see?" he smirked, making Aaron look to him as he calmed his laughter. "The every day life can be just as surprising."

"Yeah, I guess," Aaron smiled. "But Olivia's never coming back to it. She loves the life you've shown her too much. She loves _you_ too much."

"Yeah," the Doctor hummed, leaning back on the frame of the TARDIS and they were silent for a moment before he said, "Rory told me I make people a danger to themselves. That I make them want to impress me."

Aaron looked to him with a slight frown when he said nothing else and stared at the ground before wondering, "Is there a question in there, Doctor?"

"Do you think I've done that with Olivia?" the Doctor finally asked, looking to him.

"I think it depends on the person," Aaron replied. "You can make people want to impress you, but it's not always a _danger_ and…I don't think that's the case with Olivia. Yeah, she'd do anything for you, no matter how dangerous, but I know you wouldn't let her do anything you're absolutely unsure about."

"I didn't think you'd say that, considering how you reacted when she volunteered to go into the Calvierri house," the Doctor recalled.

"Yeah, then I remembered all the stuff she told me she went through at Torchwood and I realized she was a better candidate to go in there than Amy," Aaron scoffed, making the Doctor chuckle. "I think you can bring out the best in people too, Doctor. You _certainly_ brought out the best in Olivia."

"Did I?" the Doctor murmured in thought, making Aaron frown at his tone. "Or am I just putting her in unnecessary danger?"

"You listen to me, Doctor," Aaron began, drawing his attention back to him at his firm tone. "If you even _think_ about leaving her here again the way you did before, never mind _her_ killing you…_I'll_ kill you myself. Watching what she went through while you were gone was like torture. At least when she went to Torchwood she had some hope that she'd see you again and it made it a little better, but she was still depressed. She loves you, and it doesn't take a genius to see that you love her just as much, if not more. So don't do that to yourselves again, please?"

The Doctor couldn't help but smirk at him with pride as he nodded.

"I promise, Aaron," he nodded. "If I leave her here, ever again, I'll be back for her far sooner than four years, I promise."

"Thank you, Doctor," Aaron nodded before they both looked to Olivia as she marched out the door and toward the TARDIS. "Everything ok, Olivia?"

"I have no words," she replied, stopping in front of him and hugging him tightly before smiling at him. "Have fun in Ealing."

"Have fun in…the universe," he smirked, making her giggle before she patted his cheek and headed into the TARDIS, the Doctor and Aaron shoving off the frame to shake hands. "I know you will, but take care of her, ok?"

"I will," the Doctor nodded before Aaron backed away from the TARDIS as the Doctor followed Olivia.

Aaron watched as the TARDIS faded in and out before disappearing completely and gave a sigh, not only because his friend was gone…again, but because he knew _that_ was the only adventure he was going to get with Olivia and the Doctor. He missed her, and he was going to miss that excitement, even though he'd only had a taste of it.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia watched the Doctor race around the console from the jump seat, unable to keep herself from smiling as he twirled and jumped in those quirky ways he did when he operated the console.

"Aren't you going to help pilot, Liv?" he called from the other side of the console, and she grinned as she stood to stroll around it and stop next to him. She stepped right next to him, nearly pressing herself against him and slipping her hand into his back pocket, making him yelp and jump as she giggled. "I _meant_ that you _actually_ help pilot the TARDIS."

"Oh, I know what you meant," she smirked as he looked to her with wide eyes. "Amy and Rory are up stairs, right? I don't think they're gonna be coming down any time soon if you know what I mean. We could continue from where we left off when we were fooling around in here."

The Doctor glanced toward the stairs before looking back at Olivia and grinning. She bit her lower lip in a grin of her own before he inched closer and planted his lips to hers, making her giggle before they wrapped their arms around each other. They sank to the floor, Olivia moaning when he pressed her into the glass, still engaged in their lip lock that became slow and deep.

"I love you, Theta," she smiled, breathless as he trailed his lips down her neck.

"I love you too, Liv," he murmured, but they both frowned when they heard something strange.

"Theta…do you hear that?"

"The…chirping?"

"Yeah…what is it?"

"I don't know…"

Not another word was said as they both fell asleep in each other's arms, not knowing that Amy and Rory were mysteriously falling asleep as well, and not knowing why they were all suddenly so exhausted.

* * *

**A/N:** OH! see what did there? right into the next episode. lol! reviews?


	22. A Dream Lord

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 22: A Dream Lord**_

"Liv! Slap that…that—!"

"Got it!"

Olivia slapped a lever and the TARDIS shook violently, making her and the Doctor grip the console. He shuffled toward her, slipping on the glass as he still gripped the console, the TARDIS thrashing from side to side and he was shoved into her, making her cry out as she fell to the floor, gripping his sleeve and pulling him with her with a shout from him as well. They landed with a grunt each, the Doctor on top of Olivia, and he shoved up enough to look down at her mischievous smirk as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Wanna stay down here for a while, lover?" she smirked, pulling him closer for a kiss. He smirked and quickly pressed his lips to hers before the TARDIS thrashed again.

"Ah! Alright, Old Girl! We're getting there!" the Doctor called as he rolled off of Olivia, shooting to his feet and pulling her to hers before they both ran around the console again.

"Where are we goin, anyway?" Olivia wondered, trying to keep her balance and help him fly.

"The universe's _biggest_ and _brightest_ star!" he grinned, running around the console. "The orbiting planet is shielded by a force-field so powerful, nothing can get in or out!"

"Unless you have a TARDIS?" Olivia guessed with a smile as he sailed up next to her.

"Unless you have a TARDIS," he nodded, smiling as well and leaving a kiss on her cheek, making her giggle before she watched him run around in thought.

"You know, even after Amy snogged you, I kind of miss her and her lip," Olivia smiled, leaning forward on the console as he worked.

"And Rory and his nose?" the Doctor smiled before slapping another lever into place and the TARDIS shuddered to a stop. "There! Off we go!"

Olivia giggled as he ran toward her, grabbing her hand and dragging her toward the TARDIS door. The Doctor peeked out the door first, looking to the cottage with a frown of confusion then looking down at the garden he'd landed in. Olivia tried pushing past him, making him hurry and nearly trip down to the lawn, Olivia right behind him and she frowned as she looked around as well.

"Wait…" she hummed, turning a glare to the Doctor as he looked around before looking to her again. "You brought us to Ledworth. Figures you'd get it wrong and _figures_ you'd land us in their flowers!"

"_I_ landed us?!" he repeated incredulously but she gripped his shoulders and turned him to face the door of the cottage and he grinned, "Rory!"

"Doctor! Olivia!" Rory called as he marched out of the house to greet them.

"I've cracked your flowers!" the Doctor confessed, pointing to the raised garden the TARDIS was sitting in as Rory stopped in front of them.

"Oh…Amy _will_ kill you," Rory blurted.

"Where is she?" Olivia smiled, stepping closer to hug him, quickly.

"She'll need a bit longer," Rory replied, hugging Olivia back before she stepped back to stand next to the Doctor, holding onto his hand with both of hers.

"Whenever you're ready, Amy!" the Doctor called, making Olivia nudge him, slightly. They all looked to the door when she appeared and Olivia's eyes shot wide as the Doctor pointed and shouted in shock, "You've swallowed a planet!"

"I'm pregnant!" Amy grinned, waddling toward the three as Olivia hit his arm.

"You're _huge_!" the Doctor gasped, making Olivia slap his arm again.

"Yeah, she's _pregnant_," Olivia retorted.

"Look at you!" the Doctor grinned between the couple. "When worlds collide."

"No, I'm pregnant," Amy tried again.

"He'll get it eventually, Amy," Olivia muttered, hugging her sideways before gently patting her stomach. "Oh, look at you five years later and you haven't changed a bit!"

"Apart from age and…size," the Doctor blurted as he hugged Amy as well, making her laugh.

"Oh, it's good to see you both!" Amy grinned.

There was a pause as Olivia frowned at Rory and stepped next to him, reaching behind him and taking his ponytail into her fingers to flip it, still frowning as the Doctor stared down at Amy's belly then looked up at her.

"Are you pregnant?" he blurted.

"Told you!" Olivia grinned at Amy as she shook her head before leading the way inside and Rory swatted Olivia's hand from his ponytail, the three following Amy into the house. "Hey! Let's go for a walk around Ledworth and catch up, huh?! It's nice out!"

"That's an excellent idea!" Rory smiled, ruffling Olivia's hair and making her laugh before the Doctor grabbed her hand as they headed to the front door and they were soon walking the streets of Ledworth.

"Ah, Ledworth," the Doctor smiled, sardonically. "Vibrant as ever."

"It's _Upper_ Ledworth, actually," Rory corrected. "We've gone slightly up market."

Olivia nodded, impressed before looking around with a frown and asked, "Where is everybody?"

"This is _busy_," Amy replied, making Olivia frown at her as the Doctor looked around with a frown as well. "Ok, it's quiet, but it's really…restful and…_healthy_. Lots of people round here live well into their nineties."

"Well, don't let that get you down," the Doctor replied.

"It's not getting me down," Amy frowned, defensively as they found a bench and sat down.

"Well, we wanted to see how you were," the Doctor explained, sitting next to Amy, Olivia on his knee and Rory next to him…the only way they could all fit on the small bench. "You know me, I don't just abandon people when they leave the TARDIS. This Time Lord's polite. You don't get rid of your old pal, the Doctor, so easily."

"You came here by mistake, didn't you?" Amy smirked.

"Yeah, bit of a mistake," the Doctor muttered as Olivia rolled her eyes. "But look, what a result! Look at this…bench. What a nice bench."

"What _will_ they think of next?" Olivia muttered, leaning over to rest her head on the Doctor's shoulder, her back facing Amy as he wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her on his knee.

"So…" the Doctor chirped, looking between the couple as best he could. "What do you do around here to stave off the, you know…?"

"Boredom?" Amy blurted when he trailed off, making Olivia snicker, sleepily.

"We relax," Rory replied. "We live. We listen to the birds."

"Yeah, see?" Amy urged before sighing, "Birds. Those are nice."

"We didn't get a lot of time to listen to bird song back in the TARDIS days, did we?" Rory smiled.

"Oh, blimey!" the Doctor groaned, loudly before lowering his head to Olivia's shoulder, muttering, "My head's a bit…"

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned in wonder at him, unmoving from snuggling against him as he lifted his head again. "You alright, dear?"

"No," he muttered. "You're right. There wasn't a lot of time for…bird song back in the day."

The four of them had a hard time keeping their eyes open as the chirping seemed to become louder and soon the four of them were leaning on each other as the Doctor tried to get one last thought out before they all fell asleep.

"Old…"

* * *

"…days!"

The Doctor's eyes shot open, finding his face pressed against Olivia's chest.

"What?! No! Yes! Sorry. What?"

"Stop being so loud," Olivia groaned as the Doctor shoved off of her, and she frowned up at him, tiredly. "What…?"

"I dunno," the Doctor muttered, pulling her to her feet as he stood and looked to the stairs to see Rory and Amy heading toward the console. "Oh! You're ok! Oh, thank god! I had a horrible nightmare about you two! That was scary. Don't ask. You don't wanna know. Safe now. That's what counts."

He hurried toward Amy and hugged her as Olivia stepped toward Rory to examine the back of his head.

"Blimey," the Doctor sighed as Olivia hurried toward him again as he went to the console. "Never dropped off like that before. Well, never really…I'm getting on a bit, you see? Don't let the cool air fool you. Now, what's wrong with the console? Red flashing lights. I bet they mean something."

"Theta—" Olivia cut herself off when the Doctor ducked under the console to look at something, making her duck down with him. "Theta, we usually don't nod off when we're fooling around, and we _don't_ usually fall asleep at the same time like that either."

"Doctor, I also had a kind of dream…thing," Rory announced.

"Yeah, so did I," Amy added.

"Not a nightmare though," Rory explained. "Just…we were married."

Olivia grabbed the Doctor's arm in alarm as he stopped what he was doing.

"Yeah," Amy replied. "In a little village."

The Doctor and Olivia stood, staring at Amy and Rory.

"A sweet little village and you were pregnant," Rory recalled.

"Yes! I was huge! I was a boat."

"So you had the same dream then?" Rory guessed as the Doctor came up behind him to examine the back of his head and neck as Olivia watched the three. "Exactly the same dream."

"Are you calling me a boat?" Amy ground out at Rory as the Doctor looked over Amy as well and they turned to him.

"Doctor, you and Olivia were visiting," Rory recalled.

"Yeah, yeah! You came to our cottage," Amy remembered as well.

"How could all of us have had the exact same dream?" Olivia muttered, glancing between the three of them. "It doesn't make any sense. Even for us."

"And you had a nightmare about us," Amy reminded the Doctor, making Olivia roll her eyes when she realized the Doctor had the same dream that he decided was a nightmare. But Amy was worried. "What happened to us in the nightmare?"

"It was a bit similar in some aspects," the Doctor replied.

"Which aspects?" Rory wondered.

"Well, all of them," the Doctor answered before looking to Olivia and asking, "Liv? And you?"

"The same," she nodded.

"You had the same dream?" Amy guessed at the Doctor as he turned to them.

"Basically," he blurted.

"You said it was a nightmare," Amy recalled.

"Did I say a nightmare? No, ore of a really good…mare."

"It was a nightmare for _him_, Amy," Olivia explained, stepping up next to the Doctor. "It's all in the eye of the beholder."

"Look, it doesn't matter," the Doctor cut in. "We all had some kind of psychic episode. We probably just jumped a time track or something. Forget it! We're back to reality now."

"Doctor, if we're back to reality how come I can still hear birds?" Amy questioned as the Doctor started circling the console with Olivia right behind him.

"Yeah, the same birds," Rory noted. "The same ones we heard in the…"

* * *

"…dream."

Rory's eyes shot open and he was forehead to forehead with the Doctor just as the Time Lord's eyes shot open as well. They jerked away with a shout, sending the now awake Olivia off the Doctor's knee and to the ground with a scream. She groaned in pain as she sat at the Doctor's feet, glaring up at him as the three sitting on the bench looked around in wonder.

"Sorry!" Rory blurted. "Nodded off. _Stupid_! God, I must be overdoing it! I was dreaming we were back on the TARDIS." He looked to Amy just as the Doctor stood, stepping over Olivia as she watched him examining himself and Rory asked, "You just had the same dream, didn't you?"

"Back in the TARDIS," Amy confirmed with a slight nod as Olivia shot to her feet to sit between the couple, looking behind Rory at his ponytail and gently setting a hand on Amy's belly. "Weren't we _just_ saying the same thing?"

"But we all thought _this_ was the dream," Olivia replied, looking to the Doctor as he picked up a grain of dirt and examined it.

"I think so," Amy groaned as she stood with Olivia's help. "Why do dreams have to fade so quickly?"

"Doctor, what is going on?" Rory questioned, marching toward him with Amy and Olivia right behind him.

"Is this because of you?" Amy wondered. "Is this some Time Lordy thing because you've shown up again?"

"Listen to me," the Doctor ordered, glaring at their surroundings. "Trust nothing. From now on trust nothing you see, hear, or feel."

"But we're awake now!" Rory insisted.

"We thought we were awake on the TARDIS, too," Olivia pointed out as the Doctor started heading down the street and she followed.

"But we're home," Amy replied, looking around the street as well.

"Yeah, you're home, you're also dreaming," the Doctor shot back. "Trouble is, Rory, Amy, Liv, which is which? Are we flashing forwards or…backwards?"

"Hold on tight," Olivia murmured, standing between Amy and Rory, slightly panicking when she heard chirping again and didn't fail to notice the Doctor smirk. "Looks like this is gonna be a tricky…"

* * *

"…one."

Olivia's eyes shot open as she gasped, watching the Doctor shove off the stairs to rush toward the console as the TARDIS thrashed.

"This is bad!" the Doctor strained under pushing something on the console, Olivia shooting to her feet from the stairs as well as Amy and Rory stood from their seats. "I don't like this!"

The Doctor shoved off the console and kicked it, making him shout in pain and Olivia gasped again, rushing toward him.

"Never…use force!" he growled, limping around near Amy. "You just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross in which case _always_ use force!"

"Where's the manual?" Olivia asked, watching him limp his way down the stairs leading under the console.

"I threw it in a supernova," he replied as Olivia leaned on the railing to watch him.

"You threw the manual…in a supernova?" she sighed, bowing her head into a hand. "Why?"

"Because I disagreed with it!" the Doctor shouted from under the glass floor of the console, making her back up to look down at him through the glass. "Stop talking to me when I'm cross!"

"I'll talk to you when I want!" Olivia shouted back at him through the floor, staring down at him. "Don't you start yelling at me just because the TARDIS is misbehaving!"

"Ok," Rory called, stepping next to Olivia. "But, whatever's wrong with the TARDIS, is that what caused is to dream about the future?"

"Well, if we were dreaming of the _future_," the Doctor retorted, coming out from under the console again.

"Well, of _course_ we were," Amy shot back. "We were in Ledworth."

"_Upper_ Ledworth," Rory corrected as the Doctor headed to the console again.

"Yeah and we could still be in Upper Ledworth dreaming of _this_," the Doctor replied, circling the console. "Don't you get it?"

"No," Amy blurted as the Doctor handed each of them a tool. "Ok? No. _This_ is real! I'm definitely awake!"

"Yeah, and you _thought_ you were definitely awake when you were all…elephanty," the Doctor replied.

"Hey!" Amy snapped, holding her tool in his face and she ground out, "Pregnant."

"You could be giving birth right now," Olivia told her, lowering the tool in her hand. "_This_ could be the dream. He said trust nothing we see, hear or feel."

"Look around you," the Doctor ordered. "Examine everything. Look for all the details that _don't_ _ring_ _true_."

He took his tools back from them and turned to Olivia, pulling her a few steps away from Amy and glancing around before murmuring, "Does this feel like one of your visions of the future you were having when you were back at Torchwood?"

"It doesn't feel like it," she reported, shaking her head. "My dreams were never so vivid. I was always _sure_ I was dreaming, and it was always darkness before any clarity. Besides, I wouldn't be able to include all of _you_ in the same dream, and it never made me narcoleptic. It was _after_ I fell asleep, it never _made_ me fall asleep."

The Doctor nodded before smiling warmly at her, knowing she was as unsettled by all of this as he was. He placed a kiss to her temple before taking her hand and leading her back to the console.

"Ok, well, we're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside," Rory began.

"With a bowtie-wearing alien," Amy added, making the Doctor give her a blank stare before looking to Olivia with wide eyes when she giggled.

"So 'What rings true' isn't easy to figure out," Olivia whispered to him before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Good point," he conceded.

The lights around them suddenly powered down, and a sound similar to an engine powering down sounded as well before everything went quiet, the only light left being a green glow from the top of the cylinder of the TARDIS console.

"What happened?" Olivia frowned, looking to the Doctor as the four stood around the console. "Doctor? What's wrong with her?"

"It's dead," he murmured, making her eyes widen at him in disbelief but he didn't look at her as he stared up at the cylinder. "We're in a dead time machine."

The dead silence was broken by birds chirping, signaling that they were about to fall asleep. Rory hurried to Amy's side as the Doctor pulled Olivia closer, wrapping her in his arms as she threw hers around him. His hearts clenched when he felt her trembling.

"Remember this is real," the Doctor told them. "But when we wake up in the other place, remember how _real_ this feels."

"It _is_ real," Amy insisted, not leaving Rory's embrace either. "I know it's real."

"Theta," Olivia shuddered into the collar of his jacket, making him look down at her just as she looked up at him. "Whatever happens…in either place…don't leave me alone."

"I won't, Liv," he whispered into her hair as the chirping became louder. "I…"

* * *

"…promise."

The Doctor's eyes shot open as he found himself leaning back against the wall of a building, sitting next to Amy and Rory as they sat on a bench, Olivia in his arms, and she awoke at the same moment. He stood, pulling Olivia with him and keeping a death grip in her hand as he stepped into the street again, looking around just as Amy and Rory woke up.

"Ok, this is the real one," Amy blurted. "Definitely this one. It's all solid."

"It felt solid in the TARDIS, too," the Doctor reminded her as she and Rory stood from the bench. "You can't spot a dream while you're having it."

He lifted his free hand and waved it in front of his face, moving his fingers rapidly as well as Amy and Rory approached.

"What are you doing?" Rory frowned at him.

"Looking for motion blur, pixilation. It could be a computer simulation," the Doctor explained before pinching Rory's cheek then looking ahead at the old woman approaching them. "I don't think so, though."

"Hello, Doctor," she smiled as she passed.

"Hello," Rory nodded.

"Hi," the Doctor grinned at the same time before turning a frown to Rory and asking, "You're a doctor?"

"Yeah," Rory replied. "And unlike _you_, I've actually passed some exams."

"A doctor, not a nurse, just like you've always dreamed," the Doctor smirked, strolling down the street, still gripping Olivia's hand and making her stumble behind him. "How interesting."

"What is?" Rory questioned as he and Amy followed him.

"Well, your dream wife, your dream job, probably your dream baby," the Doctor replied, stopping in front of a huge brick building. "Maybe this is _your_ dream."

"It's Amy's dream, too," Rory explained, turning to her. "Isn't it, Amy?"

"Yes," she replied…a little too quickly. "Of course it is."

"What's that?" the Doctor asked, pointing to the building they were standing in front of.

"Old people's home," Amy replied, making the Doctor turn to stare into the windows, Olivia's hand still in his.

"You said everyone here lives to their nineties," he recalled. "There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick."

He shot off toward the door of the building, ignoring Amy's protest at running as he dragged Olivia through the door and Rory led them to the main room where he was greeted by a few old ladies in the room. He went to one of them asking about her hip and the Doctor heard her complain that it was a bit stiff.

"Oh, easy!" he called, examining his surroundings as he spoke. "D96 compound, plus—No, you don't have that yet. Forget that."

"Spoilers, ya big lug!" Olivia smiled, taking his chin into her free hand and gently gripping it before smiling and he smiled in return.

"Who're your friends?" the old woman asked as the Doctor pulled Olivia back to stand next to Rory. "Junior doctors?"

"Yes," Rory lied, hesitantly, making the Doctor frown at him incredulously.

"Can I borrow you?" the woman asked the Doctor, making him frown at her before she held up what she was knitting. "You're the size of my grandson."

"Uh…" he muttered, kneeling in front of her to let her push the sweater over his head. "Slightly keen to move on. Freak Psychic Schism disorder."

The Doctor suddenly leaned closer to the old woman, making her move back a bit in her chair as he only stared at her for a moment before muttering, "You're _incredibly_ old, aren't you?"

Olivia frowned at him before looking around at the rest of the old people in the room and her eyes widened when she saw them all turn their gazes slowly on the Doctor. She panicked when she could hear birds chirping and saw Amy and Rory lower themselves to the floor. Feeling weak herself she knelt down next to the Doctor who instantly grabbed her hand before they all fell asleep again.

* * *

"Ok, I hate this," Olivia ground out when they all instantly awoke back in the TARDIS. "I _officially_ hate this!"

"Stop it, Doctor," Amy ordered as the Doctor ran up the stairs. "Because _this_ is definitely real! It's definitely this one! I keep saying that, don't I?"

"Yes, you do," Olivia blurted, hugging herself when she suddenly felt a chill run through her.

"It's bloody cold," Rory stated for all of them.

"The heating's off!" the Doctor called from the top of the stairs, crossing the upper level over the console to look down at the three. "Put on a jumper. That's what I always do."

"Sorry about Mrs. Poggit," Rory called to the Doctor as he worked on something. "She's so lovely though."

"I wouldn't believe her nice old lady act if I were you," the Doctor warned, looking at them through a designed hole in the wall of the balcony railing.

"What do you mean, 'act'?" Amy wondered as the Doctor stood tall again.

"Everything's off," he reported, ignoring Amy's question. "Sensors, core power…we're drifting."

"The scanner's down, too," Olivia reported as he headed back down the stairs and toward the console. "We can't even see outside. We could be anywhere."

"Someone…some_thing_ is overriding my controls!" the Doctor snapped.

"Well, that took a while."

The Doctor whirled around to face a short, balding man at the top of the stairs as Amy and Rory jumped and Olivia felt her heart leap into her throat from fright.

"Honestly, I'd heard _such_ good things," the man smirked, sauntering down the stairs. "Last of the Time Lords. The Oncoming Storm. Him in the bowtie. And The Brilliantly Minded Girl! Couldn't you help him out just a bit?"

"How did you get into me TARDIS?" the Doctor questioned as the stranger stepped right in front of him before stepping away. "What are you?"

"What should we call me?" he replied, turning back to the Doctor. "Well…if you're the Time Lord, let's call me the _Dream_ Lord."

"Nice look," the Doctor admitted, seeing that they were wearing similar clothes.

"This?" the Dream Lord questioned, looking down at himself before sneering, "No, I'm not convinced. Bowties?"

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and when he pulled it back out he threw a ball at the Dream Lord in one fluid motion. The ball went right through the man.

"Interesting," the Doctor murmured.

"I'd love to be impressed but…_Dream Lord_…it's in the name, isn't it?" the Dream Lord retorted. "Spooky, not quite there…"

He disappeared then reappeared instantly on the other side of the group, next to Olivia, making her and Amy gasp as they jumped and stared wide eyes at him.

"…and yet very much here," he grinned.

"I'll do the talking, thank you," the Doctor replied in a low voice as he made his way past Rory and Amy, lightly gripping Olivia's arm to pull her behind him as he stared the Dream Lord down. "Liv, want to take a guess at what…_that_ is?"

"Dream Lord," Olivia began, thoughtfully. "He creates dreams."

"Dreams, delusions…cheap tricks," the Doctor nearly sneered and Olivia glanced up at him as she gripped his hand, firmly.

"What about the ginge and the gooseberry, here?" the Dream Lord wondered. "Do they get a guess, or would you rather your shining star take all the glory for herself? Does she get a special prize later tonight?"

"Listen, listen mate, if anyone's the _gooseberry_ around here, it's the Doctor," Rory spoke up before the Doctor lost his temper at what he'd said about Olivia.

"Well, there's a delusion I'm not responsible for," the Dream Lord grinned.

"No, he is," Rory insisted. "Isn't he, Amy?"

"Oh, Amy," the Dream Lord chided. "You have to sort your men out. _Choose_, even."

"_Her_ men?" Olivia ground out, making the Doctor turn to her to try to pull her away, but her feet were firmly planted and her eyes were now glued to the Dream Lord. "What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?"

"Liv, calm down," the Doctor whispered in her ear, but she didn't move or look away from the Dream Lord.

"I _have_ chosen," Amy retorted. "Of course I've chosen."

Rory looked to Amy in uncertainty, but she kept her eyes on the short man, even as she reached out and slapped him in the stomach, snapping, "It's _you_, stupid."

"Oh, good, thanks," Rory sighed in relief.

"You can't fool me," the Dream Lord argued, disappearing then reappearing behind them all again, making them all turn, and the Doctor kept Olivia behind him, still gripping her hand. "I've seen your dreams. Some of them twice, Amy. Blimey I'd blush if I had a blood supply…or a real face."

The Doctor let go of Olivia's hand and she instantly gripped the console in rage at this little man that was tormenting them as the Doctor approached the Dream Lord.

"Where did you pick up this cheap cabaret act?" he questioned.

"Me? Oh, you're on shaky ground."

"Am I?"

"If you had any more tawdry quirks you could open up a tawdry quirk shop. The madcap vehicle, the cockamamie hair, the clothes designed by a first year fashion student. I'm surprised you haven't got a little purple space dog just to ram home what an intergalactic wag you are. And of course _Olivia_ over there won't tell you anything about it because she thinks it's all oh, so adorable, when the truth is, _she's_ the only one that likes it all."

Olivia wanted to throttle this little man, and knew she could too…if he were real and not an image. Instead she looked to the Doctor as he glared down at the Dream Lord's smug grin and realized he was just as angry as she was.

"Where was I?" he frowned, looking away in thought before disappearing then reappearing at the upper level of the TARDIS to look down at the group. "I _know_ where I was. So here's your challenge: Two worlds…_here_, in the time machine, and _there_, in the village that time forgot. One is real, the other's fake. And just to make it more interesting, you're to face in _both_ worlds a deadly danger, but only _one_ of the dangers is real. Tweet, tweet. Time to sleep."

The non-existent birds started chirping, making the four instantly drowsy as they all struggled to stay on their feet and awake without success. Olivia reached for the Doctor as he lowered himself to the floor, and he instantly grabbed her hand as she did the same.

"Oh…or are you _waking_ up?"

"Theta…" Olivia breathed, trying to move closer to the Doctor, but feeling her body becoming far too heavy to move. "I'm…I'm—!"

"I know, Liv," he sighed, falling asleep as well, but he managed to pull her close enough so they were lying side by side, holding hands. "I'm…here."

* * *

**A/N:** I thought this episode was gonna be a nightmare for me, but actually, it was really fun! ONWARD! reviews?


	23. An Elder Attack and a Cold Star

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 23: An Elder Attack and a Cold Star**_

The Doctor, Olivia, Amy and Rory all gasped when they woke up on the floor of the home, the elderly gone as they all struggled to their feet, their attention drawn to a voice as a now familiar face hurried into the room wearing a blue suit, purple tie and eyeglasses, holding something in his hands.

"Oh, this is bad," the Dream Lord said, hurrying toward them as they all stood. "This is very, very bad. Look at this x-ray. Your brain is completely see-through. But then I've always been able to see though _you_, Doctor."

"Always," Amy echoed, stepping closer to him. "What do you mean 'always'?"

"Now then the prognosis is this," the Dream Lord began, ignoring Amy's question as Olivia looked to the Doctor in question as he sat in the closest armchair. "If you die in the dream, you wake up in reality. Healthy recovery in next to no time. Ask me what happens if you die in reality."

"What happens?" Rory asked, and though she knew he probably couldn't help it, Olivia lowered her head into a hand in exasperation.

"You _die_, stupid, that's why it's called 'reality'," the Dream Lord shot back.

"Do you know the Doctor or not?" Olivia questioned, lowering her hand to meet his gaze as he looked up at her with a smug smirk, and she felt herself becoming more and more agitated as she looked to the Doctor. "Do you know him?"

"Now don't get jealous," the Dream Lord smirked, shooting her gaze back to him. "He's been around, our boy. Never mind that, you've got a world to choose." He looked back to the Doctor and stepped directly in front of him. "One reality was always too much for you, Doctor. Take two and call me in the morning."

With that, the Dream Lord disappeared, leaving the three standing to stare at the Doctor as he still sat. He chanced to meet Olivia's gaze, expecting to see blame, anger, and question, but he got a surprise. The anger was there, but not at him. The question was there, but her gaze was intrigue and wonder. No blame was in her gaze either as she stepped toward him to sit on the armrest of the chair he was sitting in.

"Ok…I don't like him," Rory announced.

"Who is he?" Amy questioned, crossing her arms and Olivia looked to the Doctor, lifting a hand to fiddle with his hair, mutely.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "It's a big universe."

"Why is he doing this?" Amy demanded.

"Maybe because he has no physical form," the Doctor replied, glancing up at Olivia and she gave him a small smile as he continued, "That gets you down after a while, so he's taking it out on folk like us who can touch and eat and feel."

He looked down at his chest, realizing he was still wearing the sweater he was forced to model and stood to pull it off and throw it away, Olivia stepping up next to him.

"What does he mean, deadly danger, though?" Rory wondered as the Doctor looked around the room, finally noticing they were alone. "Nothing deadly has ever happened here. I mean, a bit of natural wastage, obviously."

"They've all gone," the Doctor muttered, making the other three look around the room. "They've all…gone."

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and ran out of the room, Amy and Rory hurrying after him. He pulled her through a door leading to a playground near castle ruins where children were playing with an adult shouting orders at them.

"Why would they leave?" Rory wondered, coming up behind Olivia before the Doctor pulled her farther along and he followed as Amy shut the door behind them.

"And what did you mean about Mrs. Poggit's nice old lady act?" Amy questioned, making the Doctor stop and whirl on them.

"One of my _tawdry quirks_…" he began as they caught up and he smirked down at Olivia, finishing, "Sniffing out things that aren't what they seem."

She only smiled back at him before looking away again, making him give a frown down at her. Something was wrong. He could feel it, but he knew he couldn't address it. Not now. It would have to wait…and he hated making anything that had _anything_ to do with Olivia, wait.

"So, come on, let's think," he urged, looking back to Amy and Rory and pulling Olivia under his arm as a silent signal that he had noticed something was wrong. "The mechanics of this reality split we're stuck in: Time asleep exactly matches time in our dream world, unlike in conventional dreams."

"And we're all dreaming the same dream at the same time," Olivia finally added.

"Yes, sort of communal trance," the Doctor nodded, lowering his arm from her shoulders. "Very rare, very complicated. I'm sure there's a dream giveaway. A tell. But my mind isn't working because this _village_ is so _dull_! I'm slowing down like you two have."

Amy suddenly made a sound of pain, making all eyes shoot to her as she looked to all of them with wide eyes and shouted loudly until it turned into a scream, holding her stomach.

"It's coming!" Amy shouted of the baby, grabbing Olivia's hand as she hurried next to her, Rory and the Doctor standing in front of her…panicking.

"Ok, you're a doctor, help her," the Doctor told Rory, urgently.

"_You're_ a doctor!" Rory shot back.

"It's ok, we're doctors!" the Doctor assured Amy before ducking down and holding his hands between her legs, ready to catch whatever came out and making Olivia roll her eyes at him as Amy tried to breathe. "What do we do?"

"Not _that_!" Olivia shouted at him.

"Ok, it's not coming," Amy blurted, calmly as she glared down at the Doctor, making him shoot to his feet as they all stared wide eyes at her in disbelief.

"What?" the Doctor questioned.

"_This_ is my life now, and it just turned you white as a _sheet_, so don't you call it dull again. Ever. Ok?" she ordered.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Yeah," she accepted and walked off toward the playground, Rory hurrying after her and Olivia was about to follow, but the Doctor gripped her arm to stop her and pull her back toward him.

"What—?"

"You've been very quiet," he murmured, staring into her eyes and her look of wonder fell as he continued, "_Too_ quiet. You always have something to say. Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Afraid. I sense it, so don't pretend like you're not."

"You don't know me that well then if you think this is fear. You've seen me when I'm _truly_ afraid."

"There are all types of fear, and I've seen them all. You're afraid of the Daleks because you understand them, so you let it effect you outwardly. You're not showing it this time because you don't understand what you're afraid of. How am I doing so far?"

"Theta, you've got two realities to figure out, save my problems for later."

"You know I can't, Liv."

Olivia couldn't help but smile as he slid his hand down her arm to hold her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. She stepped closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek, touching his other cheek with her free hand and leaving it there as she stepped back again to smile up at him.

"Don't use that tone again when you talk about your 'tawdry quirks'," she murmured, making him give a frown. "And don't call them that, either. I don't care what he says, I'm not the only one who thinks you're adorable."

The Doctor smiled before lifting his arm to wrap it around her shoulders again, pulling her close and planting a kiss to her hairline before whispering into it, "Thanks, Liv."

He looked ahead to the castle as she smiled and wrapped her arms around him under his jacket to hug him close for a moment. He noted Mrs. Poggit following the group of children and their chaperone up the stairs and into the castle ruins before lowering his arm from Olivia's shoulders and gripping her hand to pull her with him toward Amy and Rory. Amy sat in one of the swings and the Doctor quickly sat Olivia in the other before Rory could take it.

"I remember this," she smiled up at him as he stood behind her, gripping the chains above her head and smiling down at her. She knew by his smile that he remembered pushing her on some park swings the night of her graduation, and the small gesture made her heart lighter.

"Now, we all know there's an elephant in the room," the Doctor blurted, starting to push Olivia lightly on her swing as Rory stood behind Amy.

"I _have_ to be this size, I'm having a _baby_," Amy ground out then pouted, angrily.

"Isn't anybody gonna mention Rory's ponytail?" Olivia wondered, trying to save the Doctor, but it seemed she'd read his mind. They looked to Amy as she couldn't help but smiling as Rory stared at Olivia incredulously.

"You two hold him down, I'll cut it off," the Doctor grinned to Amy, making Olivia give a full laugh.

"This from the man in the bowtie?" Rory shot back.

"Bowties are cool," Olivia grinned, looking up at the Doctor, but she frowned when she noticed his gaze had moved to the castle again. "Doctor?"

He said nothing as he marched around the swing she was sitting in and she instantly stood to follow him as he stepped a yard or so away from Amy and Rory, his eyes fixed on Mrs. Poggit standing at the top of the stairs on the castle.

"Don't know about you…but I wouldn't hire Mrs. Poggit as a babysitter," he muttered as Amy and Rory stepped up next to Olivia, she standing next the Doctor.

"What's she doing?" Olivia frowned in wonder as the old woman turned to stare at them. "What does she want?"

They all instantly heard chirping, making Olivia grip the Doctor's hand and he could feel in her grip that she was panicked.

"Oh, no," Amy muttered before sighing, "Here we go."

* * *

"It's really cold. You got any warm clothing?" Amy wondered as Rory shivered next to her, the Doctor and Olivia standing at the console of the TARDIS.

"What does it matter if we're cold?" the Doctor demanded, his voice echoing through the powerless time machine. "We have to know what she's up to!"

"Theta," Olivia whispered, stepping up behind him to rub soothing hands over his back and arm.

"Sorry, sorry," he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands before pointing to his right, saying, "There should be some stuff down there. Have a look."

Olivia watched Amy and Rory head down the stairs toward a small room, still rubbing the Doctor's back before he turned and began looking for something, making her frown in wonder.

"Now what?" she asked before he reached around her and grabbed a mug from the console then grabbed her hand to drag her to the edge of the platform.

"Follow me," he ordered, letting go of her hand and jumping down to duck under the glass floor.

Olivia frowned but followed as he made his way to the other end, setting the mug down on a box before slamming the box with his hand to open it and a few things fell out which he began examining as she stepped up next to him.

"So what are you afraid of, exactly?" he asked, not looking away from the things in the box as Olivia sighed, hopelessly.

"I told you, it's not _fear_."

"Then what is it?" he questioned again, turning and plopping himself down with a few random things in his hands and the mug.

"Contemplation," she replied, sitting in front of him as he worked.

"And what are you contemplating, Liv?"

"The same thing _you_ are."

"What? What Mrs. Poggit is up to?"

"No."

"How we're gonna get the TARDIS running again?"

"Wrong again."

"You've lost me, Liv."

Olivia reached out and placed a hand over both of his, covering the thing he'd constructed while they spoke and he finally looked up at her.

"I haven't lost you, Theta, _you_ just don't think it's worth it for _me_ to think about it," she replied, making him give a frown of wonder. "Who is the Dream Lord?"

"Oh, Liv," he sighed, lifting a hand to rub his eyes. "I told you, I don't know."

She watched him as he stood and hurried past her to head to the console before she scrambled to her feet and hurried after him, standing with him next to the panel.

"You say you don't know but I can see it in your eyes, you've got a _bit_ of an idea," she shot back, stepping in front of him and he glanced between her and the thing in his hands. She sighed and came closer to him, lifting her hands to his face to gently pull his attention back to her, meeting his gaze evenly as she desperately whispered, "Why are you lying to me again?"

"I'm not lying," he insisted as she lowered her hands to his shoulders.

"But you have a theory," she guessed.

"I _always_ have a theory."

"Then tell me."

"No."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because you won't like it!"

"Lover's spat?" Amy called as she approached with Rory behind her and blankets in her arms.

"Battle of wits," Olivia corrected, taking a blanket from Amy when she offered one, never taking her eyes off the Doctor as he continued to stare at her as well.

"Rory," he called, finally taking his eyes off Olivia to hand Rory the contraption in his hand and showing him how to wind it before ordering, "Wind."

He grabbed the wire hanging from it and turned back to Olivia as she wrapped a blanket around herself. He held the plug up to her, making her frown at it before she looked up at him and he murmured, "Attach this to the monitor…please, Liv?"

She took the plug and smirked, "Only 'cause you said please."

"I was promised amazing worlds," Rory complained as Olivia did what the Doctor asked. "Instead I get duct central heating and a weird kitcheny windup device."

"It's a generator," the Doctor explained, impatiently from the console. "Get winding."

"Not enough," Olivia reported as she and the Doctor tried operating the console.

"Rory! Wind!" the Doctor demanded as he rounded the console, Olivia and Amy right behind him and heading past him toward Rory. "Liv, help him out, will you?"

"He can do it," Olivia insisted as Rory began winding faster.

"Why is the Dream Lord picking on _you_?" Rory questioned the Doctor as he managed something on the console. "Why us?"

"Doctor, look!" Olivia urged excitedly, gripping his arm to get his attention and pointing at the screen on the wall.

They all looked to it to see the image of stars on the screen. It was the space they were floating in.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, cautiously as she looked to the Doctor.

"We're in trouble," the Doctor replied.

"What…is that?" Rory questioned as something came into view on the screen.

"A star?" Olivia frowned in wonder. "A…no wait, that can't be right…right?"

"A cold star?" the Doctor murmured, making her look to him with wide eyes.

"There's no such thing," she breathed.

The Doctor said nothing as he ran to the door and opened it, letting in a blinding light as he shouted, "That's why we're freezing! It's not a heating malfunction! We're drifting toward a cold sun!"

"The deadly danger for this reality," Olivia stated as the Doctor shut the door and headed back up the stairs as they all tried to rub away the cold he'd let in.

"So _this_ must be the dream," Amy theorized. "There is no such thing as a cold star. Stars burn."

"So's this one," the Olivia replied as the Doctor hurried toward her and she wrapped her arms around him, the blanket with them as he shivered, huddling against her for warmth. "It's just burning _cold_."

"Is that possible?" Rory demanded of the Doctor.

"I can't know _everything_!" the Doctor shot back, wrapping his arms around Olivia under the blanket to pull her closer. "Why does everyone expect me to?! _Always_!"

"Ok, this is something you haven't seen before, so…does that mean _this_ is the dream?" Rory wondered.

"I don't _know_. But there it is," the Doctor replied in irritation, pulling an arm from around Olivia's waist to look at his watch before replacing it and pulling her closer to ward off the cold. "And I'd say we've got about fourteen minutes until we crash into it. But _that's_ not the problem."

"Because you know how to get us out of this?" Rory hoped.

"Because we'll have frozen to death by then," the Doctor corrected before he shuffled Olivia toward the console, both still holding onto each other.

"Then what are we gonna do?" Amy questioned as the Doctor lifted a stethoscope and he put it in his ears before giving Olivia a quick kiss to her lips and reluctantly stepping out of her arms to listen to parts of the console through the stethoscope.

"Stay calm," he told them as Olivia pulled the blanket closer around her. "Don't get sucked into it because this just might be the battle that we have to lose."

Olivia looked to him with wide eyes filled with disbelief. She never thought she'd hear him say anything _remotely_ like that…ever.

"Oh, this is so _you_, isn't it?" Rory sneered, making the Doctor look up at him and pull off the stethoscope as Olivia frowned at Rory incredulously.

"What?" he muttered.

"Rory, don't—"

"A weird new star, fourteen minutes left to live and only _one man_ to save the day?" Rory patronized. "I just wanted a nice village and a family—"

"Oh, dear, Doctor," the Dream Lord suddenly called, appearing behind the Doctor and making all of them turn to him. "Dissent in the ranks. There was an old Doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up throwing his life away. He let down his friends—"

"That is _not_ what happened!" Olivia snarled, trying to march passed the Doctor to stare the Dream Lord down, but the Time Lord gripped her arms and pulled her back as the shorter man smirked, smugly at her. "You can't possibly comprehend _anything_ about the Doctor and everything he's been through, you irritating, little man."

"Spoken like a true _cat_, hissing angrily at the world, you moody thing," the Dream Lord sneered before looking to the Doctor. "Honestly, can't you control _any_ of them?"

Non-existent birds suddenly began chirping making them all feel drowsy again.

"Oh, no," the Dream Lord murmured as they all leaned on the console to steady themselves. "We've run out of time. Don't spend too long there or you'll…catch your death here."

"Theta…" Olivia called as she sank to the floor, falling to her knees when the Doctor did as well and she reached for him.

"It's alright…Liv," he breathed, reaching for her to pull the blanket closer around her before they both fell to the floor, Amy and Rory a foot away, falling asleep. "I've got…this. I've got…you."

* * *

The Doctor ran up the stairs of the castle in Ledworth, dragging Olivia behind him as Amy and Rory followed them.

"Where have the children gone?" he questioned, stopping at the top of the stairs before launching himself forward and Olivia frowned at the ground and piles of dust around the grass he was running around.

"Don't know. Play time's probably over," Rory replied as the Doctor used the Sonic on the piles of dust and Olivia decided to do the same with her own Sonic, ignoring the conversation he started with Amy.

They each moved from pile to pile, their Sonic's humming until they met at one pile, still using their screwdrivers on it before they both stood tall and looked at the results, the Doctor snapping his Sonic open as Olivia frowned at hers. They both looked to each other at the same time with wide eyes as the Doctor closed his Sonic with a hand over the prongs and Olivia snapped hers shut.

"That's bad," Olivia breathed.

"That's very not good," the Doctor agreed.

"Guys, what are you doing and what are those piles of dust?" Amy questioned as she made her way toward them and they both looked at her, still wide-eyed.

"Play time's definitely over," he murmured, and realization instantly dawned on her as she looked around with wide eyes as well.

"Oh, my God," Amy breathed as Rory looked around in disbelief as well.

"What happened to them?" Rory wondered, breathless as well.

"Doctor," Olivia called, making him look to the home to see the rest of the elderly walking like zombies down the street. "I think _they_ happened to the kids."

"They're just _old_ people," Amy muttered.

"No…they're _very_ old people," the Doctor argued before grabbing Olivia's hand and racing back down the stairs. "Sorry, Rory, I don't think you're what's been keeping them alive."

The Doctor marched toward the group of elderly people who turned to face the four coming, but something else caught Olivia's eye, making her steps falter and she tugged on his hand, making him stop and look back at her. He caught her gaze and followed it to see the Dream Lord sauntering out from the other side of the castle, making him resume his march, dragging Olivia behind him.

"Hello, _peasants_!" the Dream Lord called, stopping in their path as the Doctor still approached. "What's this? Attack of the old people? Oh, that's ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Amy? Let's all jump under a bus and wake up in the TARDIS. You first."

"Leave her alone," the Doctor growled, stopped in front of him.

"Do that again," the Dream Lord requested, honestly, meeting the Doctor's glare with a smirk. "I _love_ it when he does that. Tall, dark hero…'Leave her alone!'"

"Just _leave_ her," Rory tried, making the Dream Lord look to him.

"Yes, you're not quite so impressive," he smirked. "But I know where your heart lies, don't I, Amy Pond?"

"Shut up," Amy snapped at him as he stepped toward her. "Just shut up and leave me alone."

"Listen, you're in there," the Dream Lord smirked, addressing the Doctor before telling Amy, "Loves a red-head, our naughty Doctor. Has he told you about Elizabeth I? Well…she _thought_ she was the first. And I'll bet _you_ did too, didn't you, Liv?"

"_Nobody_ calls me that but the Doctor," Olivia snarled, the Dream Lord facing her.

"Oh, yes, the _nicknames_!" he grinned, evilly. "Yes, he had a naughty little nickname for her as well."

"Drop it," the Doctor snapped, drawing the Dream Lord's attention. "Drop all of it. I know who you are."

"Of course you don't."

"Of course I do," the Doctor shot back at him, both holding each other's gazes as Olivia stared at the Doctor in question but said nothing. "No idea how you can be here, but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do."

Olivia looked to the Dream Lord in time to see him smirk, smugly and racked her brain on who it might be, still saying nothing.

"Never mind me," the Dream Lord smirked, looking to the group of elderly. "Maybe you _should_ worry about them?"

The four looked to the group as well to find them marching toward them with walkers and canes. The four looked to where the Dream Lord had been only to see he'd disappeared, then back the group of elderly marching toward them. Olivia gripped the Doctor's hand tighter as the four cautiously approached the group, meeting them halfway.

"Hello!" the Doctor called as Olivia gripped his arm with her other hand, keeping herself next to him. "We were wondering where you went. To get reinforcements, by the look of it. Are you alright? You look a bit tense."

"Hello, Mr. Nainby," Rory smiled to the man approaching him. "Mr. Nainby ran the sweet shop. He used to slip me the odd free toffee."

Mr. Nainby grabbed Rory's jacket with one hand and lifted him off the ground, making Rory ask, "Did I not say thank you?"

Rory was launched across the playground, effortlessly and he landed in the compacted sand before sitting up, calling, "How did he do that?!"

"I suspect he's not himself," the Doctor called back as Rory stood to hurry back to them. "Don't get comfortable here, you may have to run…fast."

"Can't we just _talk_ to them?" Amy ground out, but when they looked back to the group, they all opened their mouths to reveal a huge eye in each of them, Mrs. Poggit standing directly in front of them to give them a clear view.

"There's an eye…in her mouth," Olivia blurted, her own eyes huge as the Doctor pulled his Sonic and aimed it at Mrs. Poggit.

"There's a whole creature inside of her," the Doctor explained. "Inside _all_ of them. They've been there for years, living and waiting."

"That is disgusting," Rory sneered. "They're not gonna be peeping out of anywhere else, are they?"

Suddenly, Mrs. Poggit leaned forward, spraying a green gas from her mouth, accompanied with a hiss. Amy screamed as Rory pulled her back and Olivia yanked the Doctor back just enough to pull him out of range as well, not knowing what it would do to them.

"Rory! Get Amy out of here, _now_!" Olivia shouted at Rory who instantly obeyed and pulled her in the opposite direction, heading back to their cottage.

"Leave them!" the Doctor ordered. "Talk to _me_! You are…Etnodeans. A proud, ancient race. You're better than this. Why are you hiding away here? Why aren't you at home?"

"We were driven from our planet—" Mrs. Poggit began in a deep altered voice.

"Planet by upstart neighbors," the Doctor finished for her.

"So we've—"

"Been living here inside the bodies of old humans for…_years_. No wonder they live so long. You're keeping them alive."

"We were humbled, and destroyed. Now we will do the same to others."

"Ok, makes sense, I suppose," the Doctor muttered as Olivia glanced between him and the group of elderly. "Credible enough. Could be real."

Olivia caught a sound behind them and turned to see a bike messenger stopping next to them. He greeted them, but Mrs. Poggit replied by spraying her green gas at him, making him stumble back as he dissolved into a pile of dust, making Olivia stare at it with wide eyes, her breathing coming in shallow from panic.

"You need to leave this planet," the Doctor demanded, but Mrs. Poggit only screeched at him. "Ok…thought that would work."

"Doctor, _now_ would be a good time for running," Olivia urged him, tugging on his arm as he stared down the old people.

"You know, Liv, I think you might be right," he agreed, gripping her hand tighter as he whirled around, shouting, "_Run_!"

They launched into a full run past the playground and into the street, but they began stumbling when the sound of chirping filled their heads, the pack of elderly heading after them.

"No!" Olivia growled as they stumbled into each other, looking like a drunken couple. "We need a place to wade it out!"

"This way!" the Doctor urged, tugging her in the direction of a butcher's shop and they hurried through the door, the Doctor flipping the sign to read 'Closed.'

"Like _that's_ gonna keep 'em out," Olivia muttered, the chirping seeming to fade for the moment.

"It _might_," he shot back.

"I love a good butchers, don't you?" the Dream Lord appeared behind the counter, making Olivia glare at him as the Doctor ran to the door on the other side of the room, the Dream Lord leaning on the counter in front of them. "We've got to _use_ these places or they'll shut down. Oh, but you're probably a vegetarian, aren't you? You big flop-haired wuss."

"Oh, pipe down!" the Doctor growled at him, grabbing the keys next to the door to open it. "I'm busy!"

"Maybe you need a little sleep?" the Dream Lord smirked as birds began chirping again, making the Doctor drop to the floor, but Olivia couldn't hear anything and gasped, catching him before he fell and hurt himself.

"Doctor!" she called, desperately. "Doctor, wake up!"

"Oh, yes, dear, that'll work," the Dream Lord smirked, making her glare up at him.

"Bring him back!" she demanded. "Why put _him_ to sleep and not _me_?!"

"Well, there should be at least one of you awake to save yourselves, don't you think?" he smirked, making her look to the door in shock, recalling they were being chased. "Well, get a move on, dear!"

Olivia said nothing else before looking around the Dream Lord and spotting the walkway heading toward the back. There had to be a place where they could wade out the next nap. She dragged the Doctor as best she could around the counter, his feet dragging on the floor as she locked her hands around his chest from behind.

"Terrible dragging dead weight around, isn't it?" the Dream Lord smirked as she passed him with the sleeping Doctor and she struggled down the small set of stairs as the bell on the door rang. "That's all the companion is, really. And that's all _you_ are. Dead weight."

"Freezer!" Olivia strained under the Doctor's weight.

She ignored the Dream Lord's attempts to get in her head and tried to ignore the fact that he was alerting the elderly to where they were as she unceremoniously dumped the Doctor on the floor when she reached the door. She glanced up from pulling her Sonic out to see the group of old people heading toward her, slowly before she unlocked the walk-in freezer and opened it to drag the Doctor in, now struggling against falling asleep as she heard birds chirping in her head. She dumped the Doctor on the floor again before slamming the door shut, leaning against it as she locked it with the Sonic and sighed as she finally let sleep take over, sliding to the floor as her world went dark.

* * *

**A/N:** i confess...i kinda had fun with that last scene. Liv to the rescue! reviews?


	24. A Choice

**A/N:** oh my time lord, i had this done for months and i completely forgot to post it. can you ever forgive me?! i've been sick, so i havent been doing much, but i'm back on it. i'm so sorry! enjoy the new chappie!

* * *

_**Chapter 24: A Choice**_

"Doctor!"

Olivia gasped as she shot straight up, the Doctor, Amy and Rory lying around her and gasping awake as well.

"I'm here, Liv," the Doctor assured her, shifting closer to catch her when she launched herself at him, hugging him close. "I'm here."

"You're not dead," she shuddered as Amy pulled her blanket over her a little closer. "I got you out of there while you were asleep. We're in a freezer."

"Well done, my brilliant Liv," he grinned before pressing a kiss to her head.

"It's colder," Amy shuddered as Olivia pulled away enough to face the group, but the Doctor still held her, both trying to keep warm as it had, indeed, gotten colder.

"The four of us have to agree, _now_, which is the dream," the Doctor announced as he slid his arms under Olivia's blanket to hold her close and get warmer.

"It's this, here," Rory decided, confidently.

"You could be right," Amy conceded. "The science is all wrong here. Burning ice?"

"Ice _can_ burn," Olivia argued. "Think about it…when you grab ice from the freezer, sometimes it's so cold it feels like it's burning. Dry ice can burn, too."

"And sofas can read…it's a big universe," the Doctor added. "We have to agree which battle to lose. All of us. _Now_."

"Ok, which one do _you_ think is real?" Amy questioned him.

"This one."

"No! The other one!" Rory argued.

"Yeah, but are we disagreeing or _competing_?!" the Doctor snapped back at him.

"Competing over what?" Olivia frowned in wonder, making them both look to her before they looked to Amy, making the ginger roll her eyes as she stood from her spot and Olivia looked to her before looking back at the Doctor. "Why would you—?"

"We'll talk about it later," he murmured, lifting a hand to look at his watch.

Olivia shoved his hand down again and glared at him with pursed lips, growling, "Like hell. We're talking about this _now_."

"Nine minutes to impact and _you_ want to argue," he snapped, gently shoving her away from him to shoot to his feet, straining as he did, "_Typical_ Olivia Felton! Stay there!"

"No!" she shot back, standing as well as Rory stood as well.

"What temperature is it?" Amy questioned, taking Olivia's blanket and making her frown but she said nothing.

"Outside? Brrrr!" the Doctor replied. "How many naughts _in_side? I don't know but I can't feel my feet and…other parts."

"I think all _my_ parts are basically fine," Rory shot back.

"Stop competing," the Doctor chided before looking to Olivia as she glared at him. He stepped toward her where she leaned back on the console and he slid his arms around her waist again, whispering, "If we were alone we could _really_ warm each other up, eh?"

"If I wasn't so pissed off at you I _might_ consider it," she snapped back, but she couldn't push him away, knowing he was using her remaining warmth to warm himself up and he was letting her do the same of him. She wasn't angry enough to let him freeze to death…yet.

"Can't we _call_ for help?" Rory demanded, pulling the phone attached to the console and waving it in front of the Doctor's and Olivia faces.

"Yeah, because the universe is really quite small and there's bound to be someone nearby," the Doctor retorted, taking the phone and tapping Rory's head with it before putting it back.

"Put these on, all of you," Amy ordered, tossing a blanket each to the Doctor and Olivia before stepping toward Rory to place a blanket she'd cut a hole in over his head.

"Oh, a poncho," Rory realized as Olivia pulled her blanket over her head as Amy pulled on one of her own, and Olivia looked to the Doctor with his. She stepped toward him and pulled the blanket on over his head, straightening it out as he smiled down at her as Rory complained, "The biggest crime in against fashion since lederhosen."

"Here we go," Amy sighed before stepping next to Olivia as she leaned back on the console again. "Look at them. Our boys. Our Poncho Boys."

"Sounds like a band," Olivia smirked, wryly. "_Amelia_ and the Poncho Boys."

"Liv, don't start," the Doctor chided, catching her tone.

"Hey, look, if we're gonna die, let's got out lookin' like a Peruvian folk band," Olivia shrugged.

"We're not gonna die," Rory argued.

"No, we're not," the Doctor agreed, glancing at his watch. "But our time's running out. If we fall asleep here, we're in trouble."

"As opposed to the _fun_ of being turned to a pile of dust by old people!" Olivia shot back as he rubbed his face in thought.

"If we could divide up, then we'd have an active presence in each world," he theorized as he began pacing. "But the dream will be switching us between the worlds. Why? Why? What's the logic?"

"Good idea, Reggie," the Dream Lord said, suddenly pacing with the Doctor and making him stop next to his friends, all glaring at the Dream Lord. "Let's divide you four up so I can have a little chat with our lovely companions. Maybe I'll _keep_ them and you can have pointy nose to yourself for all eternity, should you manage to clamber aboard some sort of reality."

"Can you hear that?" Rory questioned Amy as Olivia and the Doctor locked gazes, his eyes fluttering as he tried to stay awake but she couldn't hear anything.

"Doctor, don't you dare," she breathed in fright as she moved toward him to catch him before he fell, Rory starting to fall asleep as Amy frowned in wonder when she couldn't hear anything either. "Theta, you said you wouldn't leave me. You promised!"

"Liv, don't be scared," he murmured as she knelt in front of him. "I'll be back. Take care of Amy. Do _not_ let him get to you."

"Too late," the Dream Lord smirked, but he was ignored.

"Liv…" he breathed, lying down as he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek and she felt her heart clench at how cold his fingers felt on her skin. "Forgive me…please?"

"Always," she whispered, feeling panicked as he finally fell asleep, swallowing back the lump forming in her throat. If she cried now, her tears would freeze to her cheeks.

"Rory!" Amy called as she watched him sink to the floor as well. "Doctor, don't leave us!"

"Amy," the Dream Lord smiled. "We're gonna have fun, aren't we?" He turned to Olivia and smiled down at her as she adjusted the Doctor's poncho to keep his hands warm. "And Liv…_we're_ gonna have _so_ much fun, too, aren't we?"

"I told you…don't call me that," she ground out as she unbuttoned her jacket under the poncho and took it off, bundling it up and gently lifting the Doctor's head to place her jacket beneath it. She sat next to his head to stroke his hair as she watched him sleep, hoping the Dream Lord wouldn't bug her as long as she ignored him.

"Why don't you just tell him the truth, Liv?" he wondered, leaning on the console to watch her. "That you prefer his past regeneration to this…_awkward_ one."

"You're not getting me with that one, Dream Dwarf," she shot back. "I love him no matter what, and I've proved that to him _and_ myself, so bite me."

"If you insist," the Dream Lord smirked, making her glare up at him before she looked back at the Doctor, feeling Amy kneel next to her but not looking up at her.

"What do we do now?" Amy asked her.

"We take care of our boys and take care of the TARDIS," Olivia murmured. "We can work on this from our end. At least _I_ will if you'd rather not. I can't stay still for more than a minute." She looked to Amy with a reassuring smile and met wide, questioning eyes. "Amy, we'll get through this, ok? We're not giving up on our boys and our boys aren't gonna give up on us. Got it? Never."

"So," the Dream Lord grinned evilly, making them shoot their wide-eyed gazes at him. "What shall we do first?"

* * *

The Doctor instantly shot to his feet to press his ear against the freezer door where he and the still sleeping Olivia were trapped. He heard the group of elderly screaming on the other side of the door, waiting for them to come out. He looked to Olivia as he pulled his Sonic from his pocket and clicked it on and off a few times before he turned back to her to kneel in front of her. He grabbed her tie and pulled her forward enough to press a quick kiss to her lips.

"For luck," he murmured before pulling her forward by her arms and slinging her over his shoulder, turning to face the door again. "Oh…I should've gotten a proper kiss from you, Liv."

He kicked the door open, sending some of the elderly tumbling out of the way and aimed the Sonic at the lights above them, blinding them and allowing him to run past holding tight to Olivia's legs so as not to let her fall from his shoulder. He ran out of the shop and into the street where he heard someone shouting for help. He looked down the street to see a van being attacked by an elderly man and ran toward it.

The Doctor ran as fast as he could toward the van and when he reached it, he kicked the old man to the ground before quickly opening the frightened driver's door, handing Olivia over to him as he assured the man it was alright. The man helped pull Olivia in and sat her in the passenger seat as the Doctor climbed into the driver's seat. They drove down the street, picking up men, women and children being attacked by the elderly.

He glanced to Olivia still asleep in the passenger seat, unable to help wondering and worrying about what she and Amy were going through in the other reality.

* * *

_Meanwhile in the TARDIS..._

Amy sat on the stairs leading to one of the upper levels of the TARDIS as Olivia bustled around the console, their breath puffs of steam as she slid once in while on the icy glass floor. Crystals of ice had formed on their faces and in their hair, and it was the same for Rory and the Doctor. The control room was covered in ice. She looked up when the Dream Lord appeared next to Amy.

"Poor Amy," he crooned, sarcastically. "He always leaves you, doesn't he? Alone in the dark. Never apologizes. He does the same to Liv, though she won't admit it or say a _word_ against it."

"Shut up and leave her alone," Olivia snarled, marching around the console to stand in front of Amy and the Dream Lord.

"_He_ doesn't have to apologize," Amy shot back, standing to step next to Olivia who stared down the Dream Lord.

"That's good, because he never will," he smirked. "And now he's left you two with me. Spooky, old, not-to-be-trusted me. _Anything_ could happen."

He disappeared then reappeared in one of the jump seats in a more revealing shirt, making Olivia sneer and she felt like she was going to hurl at the sight.

"Good thing you have no _form_," she reminded him, making him glare at her before she turned to kneel in front of the Doctor and began picking the ice crystals out of his hair and off of his face.

"Who are you?" Amy questioned him again, making Olivia look up at her. "And what do you want? The Doctor knows you, but he's not telling me who you are. And he _always_ does. Takes him a while sometimes, but he tells me."

"And if he doesn't tell _her_…he _definitely_ tells me," Olivia spoke up, bringing the Dream Lord's amused gaze to her as she stood and glared at him. "So you're something…different."

"Oh, is that who you two think you are?" the Dream Lord wondered. "The one's he trusts?"

"Actually, yes," Amy chirped, making Olivia swallow as the Dream Lord stood, now staring at Amy.

"The only girls in the universe to whom the Doctor tells _everything_," he mocked.

"Amy, ignore him," Olivia tried.

"Yes," Amy whispered, almost menacingly.

"Amy—"

"So what's his name?" he wondered, knowingly…mockingly before disappearing and reappearing next to Olivia. "_She_ knows, don't you Liv?"

"Stop calling me that and leave her alone!" Olivia growled, turning to punch him but her hand went right through his head as he laughed, looking to the men on the floor.

"Now, Amy, which of these men would you _really_ choose?" he wondered as Amy stepped next to Olivia. "Look at them. You ran away with a handsome hero. Would you _really_ give him up for a bumbling country doctor who thinks the only thing he needs to be interesting…is a _ponytail_?"

"Stop it," Amy snapped, shaking her head as Olivia glared at him.

"Well, maybe it's better than loving and losing the Doctor," he kept on. "Pick a world and this nightmare will all be over. They'll listen to you. It's _you_ they're waiting for. Amy's men…Amy's _choice_."

"Leave her alone," Olivia ground out, trying very hard not to lash out again at his lack of mentioning her. She knew this wasn't about her, but the fact that the Doctor was being called one of _Amy's_ men was more than annoying.

"Oh, don't worry, sweet Liv," the Dream Lord smirked, smugly. "I'm sure you can have Amy's leftovers."

With that he disappeared and Olivia growled, loudly, her voice echoing through the TARDIS and making Amy jump. She sighed and looked down at the Doctor before kneeling to make sure he was covered as much as he could be by the poncho, Amy doing the same for Rory.

"I'm sorry, Olivia," Amy whispered, making her girl look to Amy with a frown. "I know he's your boyfriend…or whatever you call yourselves, but…I don't know. I did this. It's my fault."

Olivia looked back at the Doctor before murmuring, "It's alright, Amy. I know…he has that effect on young women. I mean…_I'm_ a prime example. I ran away with him, fell in love with him, and now I'm either gonna be frozen to death by a cold star or turned to a pile of dust by an old woman in Ledworth."

She looked to Amy who only stared down at Rory as she continued, "The thing you have to ask yourself when you go traveling with the Doctor is: Can you give up everything else? Is it worth all the crap you have to go through to get to the happy ending? Is _he_ worth all of it?"

"You sound like you _want_ me to choose him," Amy couldn't help but scoff and Olivia gave a small smirk as she watched her stroke Rory's cheek.

"I've got a quirk or two, myself," Olivia smirked, drawing Amy's attention to her and jade eyes met hazel greens. "One of them is…I'm pretty perceptive. I already know who you'll choose, and even if I didn't, it wouldn't matter to me. I'm sharing him with River already…why the hell shouldn't I share him with you, too?"

"I don't share well," Amy replied, honestly before looking back at Rory.

"Yeah," Olivia sighed, looking back at the Doctor to stroke his cheek. "I surprise myself at how generous I am sometimes."

* * *

_Meanwhile in Ledworth..._

"Everybody out!" the Doctor called as he stood outside the sliding door of the van he'd parked outside a church, letting the group he'd picked up climb out. "Into the church! Don't answer the door!"

Once the van was empty he slammed the door shut and climbed back in to drive as fast as he could to Amy and Rory's cottage where he knew they'd be holed up. He looked to the still sleeping Olivia and felt guilt clench his hearts. He wanted to explain to her why it seemed like he was 'competing' for Amy. He was regretting not telling her when she asked.

"It's Make Your Mind Up Time in _both_ worlds," the Dream Lord reported, sitting in the back seat of the van in a racing driver's uniform with a helmet in his lap.

"Fine," the Doctor blurted, paying attention to the road. "I need to find my friends."

"Friends?" the Dream Lord repeated. "Is that the right word for the people you acquire? Friends are people you stay in touch with. Your friends never see you again once they've grown up. The old man prefers the company of the young, does he not? Well, I suppose Liv is the exception, hm?"

The Doctor said nothing as the Dream Lord disappeared, and a second later, Olivia gasped awake, making him glance between her and the road in relief as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Theta!" she breathed before looking around the van then wondering, "What—?"

"We escaped the freezer without too much fuss. We saved some people from the attack of the elderly and _now_ we're heading off to save Amy and Rory. Any questions?"

"Just one."

"Ask me."

"The Dream Lord…is he—?"

Olivia was cut off when the van slowed and the sound of a chainsaw made her jump. She stared out the windshield as she saw several old people gathering things to invade the cottage.

"Not good," she blurted.

"This way," he urged, climbing out of the car and she climbed over to the driver's seat to get out herself. He shut the door and they both ducked down so they wouldn't be seen through the window. "Alright, now listen. We're gonna climb up the trellis to that window on the left, but we can't be seen. So you're to follow me and do exactly as I do, yes?"

"Follow your lead," Olivia nodded. "Rule number two. Just…one thing before we do this, please?"

"Liv, this really isn't the time for an argument—"

The rest of the Doctor's sentence was swallowed up by Olivia's mouth as she planted her lips to his, making his eyes widen in surprise before they shut and he kissed her back, matching her passion and they pulled away with a loud smack, panting.

"For luck," she breathed, making him grin before she added, "And because we could die."

"Good reasons," he nodded before gripping her hand and holding their hands between their noses, both with matching grins. "You call it, darling."

"Allons-y!" she grinned.

They both shot to their feet and ran hand in hand to the side of the house, making sure they weren't spotted. He sent Olivia up the trellis first before he climbed after her and when she reached the awning of one of the windows she sat to help pull him up. He climbed in through the window to meet Amy and Rory sitting in a yellow room with a crib near his head.

"Sorry," he strained as he tried climbing in. "Had to stop at the butchers."

He jumped into the room and helped Olivia in after him, but he pulled a little too hard on her and he fell backward, pulling her on top of him.

"Later, dear," she groaned in pain before rolling off of him and Amy and Rory leaned over them both.

"What are we gonna do?" Rory asked the Doctor.

"I dunno," he panted from climbing. "I thought the freezing TARDIS was real."

"And now?" Olivia wondered.

"Now…I'm not so sure," he admitted before they all frowned at Amy when she jerked and made a small, startled noise.

"I think the baby's starting," she murmured with wide eyes at Rory.

"Honestly?" Rory couldn't help but ask.

"Would I _make it up_ at a time like this?!" she growled as the Doctor shot to his feet and helped Olivia up as well.

"Well, you _do_ have a history of…" Rory trailed off when Amy glared at him before he finished, "…being…very lovely."

"Nice save, Williams," Olivia smirked as she knelt next to her, rubbing her back and there was a crash from outside that sounded close…_very_ close.

"Why are they so desperate to kill us?!" Rory demanded.

"They're scared," the Doctor replied. "Fear generates savagery."

A stone statue went through a window and Amy screamed as they all moved away from it before Rory stood to cautiously peek out.

"Rory! Get back!" Olivia shouted, but it was too late.

Rory shouted in pain as he caught some of Mrs. Poggit's green gas and the Doctor grabbed a lamp to thrust it at the old woman as Rory stumbled back into the room where Amy scooted toward him to sit next to him

"No!" Rory panted, looking to Amy. "I'm not ready!"

Olivia looked to the Doctor as he rubbed his face, helplessly then back to Amy and Rory. She knew exactly what Amy was going through, and it made a lump form in her throat at the thought. There was nothing they could do for him…not even the Doctor.

"Look after our baby," Rory murmured to Amy as he slowly dissolved into dust as Amy shook her head in disbelief.

"Come back," Amy murmured, staring at the pile of dust as Olivia gripped the Doctor's hand, letting tears fall from her eyes as Amy looked up at them and pleaded, "Save him. You save everyone. You always do. It's what you do."

"Not always," he murmured, his grip on Olivia's hand tightening and she looked to him to see the sorrow in his eyes as he stared at Amy. "I'm sorry."

"Then what is the _point_ of you?" Amy ground out. She looked back at the pile before standing, the Doctor and Olivia stepping toward her, wanting to help or hug her but not knowing how she'd react as she turned back to them. "_This_ is the dream. Definitely this one. If we die here we wake up, yeah?"

"Unless we just die," the Doctor replied as Olivia remained silent.

"Either way this is my only chance of seeing him again," she retorted, disconnected. "_This_ is the dream."

"How do you know?" Olivia murmured.

"Because if this is real life, I don't _want it_," Amy replied. "I don't want it."

She marched around them and moved the chair blocking the door, Olivia and the Doctor right after her. They reached the front door without any problem and Olivia frowned around at the elderly before Amy took the words out of her mouth.

"Why aren't they _attacking_?!" Amy shouted and they headed down the trail to get to the van the Doctor had brought.

"Either because this is just a dream or because they know what we're about to do," the Doctor replied.

They stopped at the van and Amy turned to him, holding her hand out for the keys.

"Be _really_ sure, Amy," Olivia warned her. "This could be the real one."

"It _can't_ be," Amy ground out, silent tears running down her cheeks. "Rory isn't here. I didn't know…I honestly didn't until right now. I just want him."

The Doctor nodded before handing her the keys then gripping her hand reassuringly before they parted, Amy heading for the driver's side and the Doctor and Olivia to the passenger's. Standing next to the door as the Doctor and Olivia approached was the Dream Lord, and the Doctor only stared him down before getting in, pulling Olivia onto his lap to make this drive as dangerous as possible.

"I loved Rory, and I never told him," Amy explained. "And now he's gone."

Olivia shifted in the Doctor's lap as Amy put the van in gear and slammed her foot on the gas. She turned the van into the house, taking out a few old people on her way as Olivia threw her arms around the Doctor, her cheek pressed to his.

"See you in the TARDIS, my love," she whispered before the van slammed into the house.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all like the way I wrote Olivia into this episode, I had more fun with it than i thought i would, reviews?


	25. A Psychic Link

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 25: A Psychic Link**_

The first thing Olivia realized was that she was cold. Freezing. She couldn't feel her legs, her hands or her face, and all she saw for the moment was darkness. She had died in the van with the Doctor and Amy, and she couldn't help but wonder if they'd made a mistake and they were all truly dead.

She suddenly felt a cold hand touch her cheek and finally let her eyes open, slowly to see the Doctor staring at her. She was lying on her side next to him so that they were face to face. She couldn't help but smile and slowly reached for him to touch his ice covered face as well.

"So, you chose _this_ world," the Dream Lord realized, making the Doctor, Olivia, Amy and Rory look up at him, but none of them got up. "Well done. You got it right. And with only _seconds_ left. Fair is fair. Let's warm you up."

The TARDIS powered up around them as Olivia looked to the Doctor in wonder. She could see the wheels turning in his head again and she couldn't help but think that this was far too easy. After all the conniving the Dream Lord had done, it seemed he was giving up the game far too easily.

"I hope you've enjoyed your little fictions," the Dream Lord continued. "They all came out of _your_ imaginations, so I'll leave you to ponder on that. I have been defeated. I shall withdraw. Farewell."

The Doctor waited until the Dream Lord disappeared before he attempted to stand, struggling to do so under the ice caked on his clothes, Amy and Rory sitting up on the other side of Olivia as the Doctor told her, "Liv, get up. Come on! I need your help."

"Help with what?" Olivia frowned as he took her hand and pulled her to her feet with some effort from the both of them through the ice.

"The TARDIS," he replied, going around the console and telling her what to do as Rory asked what happened, but Amy just hugged him.

"What are we doing?" Olivia asked, operating the TARDIS console with him.

"We're gonna blow up the TARDIS," the Doctor replied, making her freeze and shoot wide, jade eyes at him in disbelief.

"What?!" Rory snapped.

"Notice how _helpful_ the Dream Lord was," the Doctor began, running around the console and waving to Olivia to encourage her to help him. "Ok, there was misinformation, red herrings, malice and I could've done without the limerick, but he was always very keen to make us choose between dream and reality."

He did something on the console that made the TARDIS give a boom sound, and he laughed as Amy and Rory stood, staring at him with wide eyes and Olivia ran to him.

"What are you doing?!" Amy demanded as the TARDIS quaked around them.

Olivia turned him, gripping his jacket lapels and shaking him as she growled, "Have you gone insane?! Can't you see this isn't the dream?!"

"Yes it is!" he shouted back, pulling her hands from his jacket to continue his work on the console. "Star burning cold? Do me a favor! The Dream Lord has no power over the _real_ world! He was offering us a choice between two dreams."

Olivia listened and looked to him in realization then began helping him as Rory tried to push her away but she easily evaded him.

"How do you know that?" Amy questioned the Doctor.

"Because he knows who he is, Amy!" Olivia called back, making the couple look at her, distracting them and giving the Doctor time to pull on a lever to blow up the TARDIS.

* * *

Olivia stood next to the Doctor as he examined something in his hand, the two of them leaning back against the TARDIS console as Amy and Rory came from the hall at the top of the stairs.

"Any questions?" the Doctor asked, looking to them as they approached.

"What's that?" Amy asked as the Doctor held his hand out to let them have a look at what was in it.

"Specks of psychic pollen from the Candle Meadows of Crast on Slava," he replied, touching the shining, diamond-like crystals in his palm. "It must have been hanging around for ages. Fell in the time rotor, heated up, and induced a dream state for all of us."

He took Olivia's hand and pulled her to the door, opening it and smiled down at her before lifting his hand in front of her face. She looked to the crystals before smiling up at him, realizing what he was waiting for. She blew on his hand, gently and the crystals floated off his hand and into space before he slung his arm over her shoulders, shutting the door and turning back to Amy and Rory, heading toward them.

"So that was the Dream Lord then?" Rory wondered. "Those little specks?"

"No, no…no," the Doctor frowned as he leaned back on the console, Olivia still under his arm and she frowned up at him. "Sorry. Wasn't it obvious? The Dream Lord was _me_. Psychic pollen is a mind parasite. It feeds on everything _dark_ in you…gives it a voice, turns it against you."

The three stared at him in disbelief and Olivia felt his hand on her arm tighten.

"I'm nine hundred and seven," he murmured. "Had a lot to go on."

"But why didn't it feed on _us_, too?" Amy wondered.

"The darkness in you three? It would have starved to death in an instant," the Doctor replied, stepping around the console before stopping and smiling at Amy, Rory and Olivia. "I choose my friends with great care. Otherwise, I'm stuck in my own company and you know how _that_ works out."

"But…those things he said about you," Olivia called, stepping toward him to stand next to him, meeting his gaze evenly. "You don't really _believe_ any of that, right?"

He stared into her jade eyes filled with love and concern. Concern for him, he knew, and if he said anything to the affirmative to answer her question, it would hurt her. He couldn't handle seeing that. He glanced at Rory and Amy and found his out.

"Amy," he smirked, making Olivia's wide-eyed stare narrow as she lowered her gaze to the console. "Right now a question is about to occur to Rory, and seeing as the answer is about to change his life, I think you should give him your _full_ attention."

The Doctor stepped around Olivia, running a hand over her back and shoulders before trailing it down her arm then starting to operate the console. She glanced at him and he gave a wink, making her unable to do anything but smile and give a small giggle before she looked to Amy and Rory, remaining at the console.

"Yeah," Rory began, turning to Amy. "Actually…yeah."

"There it is," Olivia smirked.

"'Cause what I don't get is you blew up the TARDIS, that stopped _that_ dream, but what stopped the Ledworth dream?"

"We crashed the camper van," Amy muttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable and awkward.

"I don't remember that," Rory admitted.

"No…You weren't there. You were already—" Amy choked on the last word and Olivia looked to the Doctor mouthing 'Aw' with an expression on her face as if she'd just seen the cutest puppy in the universe. He placed a finger over his lips to tell her to keep silent, which she did.

"Already what?" Rory wondered when Amy didn't continue.

"Dead," Amy blurted in irritation then muttered, "You died in the dream. Mrs. Poggit got ya."

"Ok," Rory drawled, still staring at her in wonder. "But how do you know it was a dream before you crashed the van. How did you know you wouldn't just die?"

"I didn't," Amy replied and Olivia grinned as realization hit Rory and he stepped closer to kiss Amy, the Doctor coming up behind Olivia to wrap his arms around her, setting his chin on her shoulder.

"Happy ending, yeah?" he murmured, and she nodded as he kissed her temple before asking them all, "So! Well then…where now? Or should Liv and I pop down to swimming pool for a few lengths?"

"I don't know," Rory replied, holding Amy. "Anywhere's good for me. I'm happy anywhere. It's up to Amy this time. Amy's choice."

The Doctor grinned before turning to the console again and gripping a lever. He was about to pull it when he looked down onto a glass part of the console and paused. Olivia sailed up to his left with a grin before looking to him with a frown when he cautiously looked over his right shoulder, Amy and Rory laughing as Rory teased Amy somehow. Olivia glanced behind the Doctor as well before he looked back at the console.

"Theta?" she murmured, shooting his gaze to hers. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, Liv," he smiled, making her narrow her gaze at him but he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer and kiss her hairline, murmuring against it, "Let's leave the love birds alone, eh? Pick a place where we can talk, yeah?"

"The pool," she smiled, pulling away enough to look up at him. "I haven't seen it since it changed and _you_ brought it up."

"Alright, you go, I'll meet you there in a bit," he nodded, lowering his arm and turning to operate the console as she smiled up at him, circling behind him and patting his rear. He jumped with a slight yelp and looked to her with narrowed eyes as she giggled, waving cutely as she headed toward the stairs leading to the hall to find the pool.

* * *

_Later..._

"Ooh, I recall that little number," the Doctor smirked down at Olivia as she stood in the shallow end of the pool in her purple bikini, her hair soaked and slicked back from having jumped in before he got there. She grinned up at him before frowning at him in wonder.

"Where's yours?" she wondered, noting he was still dressed in his usual clothes.

"I thought we came here to _talk_."

"I thought we came here to swim _and_ talk."

"Well I can't do both this time 'round."

"Fine," Olivia sighed, stepping closer to hold her hand up to him. "Help me out?"

"I _invented_ that trick back in Rome at one of the bath houses, Liv," he smirked, unmoving and shoving his hand into his pockets. "Caesar was _not_ happy with me after I did it."

"I _really_ need help, Theta," she pouted, cutely as she still held her hand up.

The Doctor sighed in defeat before gripping her hand and pulling her out, catching her when she stumbled into him and not caring that she was getting him wet. She threw her arms around him and planted her lips to his without another word. The Doctor didn't object as he slid his arms tighter around her, gladly returning her kiss, slipping his tongue between her lips and making her moan before he pulled away to breathe.

"Liv…this isn't talking, per say," he sighed, smiling a bit wider when her hands slid into his hair.

"I know," she smirked, mischievously as she twirled her fingers in his hair. "But I couldn't resist. It's been a while since we've been alone like this, huh? I mean…_real_ time alone."

"Yes, I know," he smiled back before taking one of her hands and leading her toward the bench against the wall where her towel sat. He lifted the towel and swept it around Olivia's shoulders, making her giggle as he began rubbing her arms to dry her off, saying, "There's something I need to clear up, Liv. Something I should have explained to you when you asked, but I ignored it at that moment. I wasn't _competing_ for Amy the way Rory was. I had a different reason."

"And what reason was that?" she wondered.

"Friendship, Liv," he replied, pulling the towel up on her head like a hood to hold the ends and tuck it under her chin, meeting her gaze. "I only want her to be here as a friend as long as possible. You know I like an audience."

"I know," she smiled, remembering how her heart had clenched the entire time she told Amy she'd share him with her if she had to.

"Olivia…I love you," he murmured, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. "I know you've been through a lot since my regeneration, and I wish I could've spared you some of it…especially this one."

"Stop it, Theta," she whispered, lowering the towel from her head to place her hands on his cheeks, stroking his face. "I wouldn't trade any of it for anything, my love. Not even this one."

"But…you just saw a side of me…I never wanted you to see," he murmured.

"I knew it," Olivia sighed, lowering her hands to take his, looking down at their hands. "You really _do_ think of yourself that way, don't you?"

"Liv, it's all _true_," he insisted, making her look to him with wide eyes. "I put you in danger, I threw my life away, I let you down all the time—"

"Shut up," Olivia breathed.

"But I—"

"Idiot, stop talking," she cut in, slapping a hand over his mouth and he stared at her with a wide-eyed frown. "You know me, don't you? You think I would stick around if you were even _remotely_ like the Dream Lord? You may have a lot of quirks, you may be arrogant, you may not apologize for a lot of what you say and do but you _are_ the most amazing, brilliant, _insane_ man I know and I love you. I hate—!"

The Doctor frowned but her hand was still over his mouth so he said nothing as Olivia choked back a sob, lowering her gaze from his before she snapped, "I hate that you think of yourself that way when what you do is so important and wonderful!"

She lowered her hand from his mouth to place both of them over her face to hide her sobs. The sight made his hearts clench so tightly he couldn't breathe as he slid his arms around her to pull her close, feeling her shudder against him.

"That's why I didn't tell you who I thought he was, Liv," he murmured against her hair. "I didn't want…this. But I suppose the only way to keep this from happening is to keep things from you and you don't like it when I do _that_. Puts me in quite a spot, darling."

"Stop being an idiot and you won't _be_ in a spot, Theta," she muttered, making him give a smirk at her playful tone before she lifted her head and looked up at him. "Haven't you learned by now to tell me everything no matter what?"

"Apparently not," he smirked, lowering his arms to lock them around her waist. "I'm a slow learner with you, Liv. You can be predictable sometimes, but there _are_ times, not many, but enough, that you _completely_ surprise me."

"Good to know I can still be unpredictable," she smirked, reaching around to fiddle with his fingers, but frowned in wonder when she felt something on his left middle finger, making her frown, and he frowned as well in wonder at her as she took his hand to bring it between them and examine it. "What's this?"

He said nothing as he let his right hand rest on her hip, his left in her hands as she examined the gold band on his middle finger with a single familiar looking crystal embedded in it.

"That's…a Psychic Pollen speck," she realized and frowned up at him. "You kept one and made a ring out of it?"

"Well, I didn't just keep _one_, Liv," he smirked, reaching into one of his inside pockets and pulled something out, making Olivia's frown deepen before her eyes widened. "One for you. Don't overheat it. You know what happens."

She smiled as he lifted her left hand and slipped the gold band with the stone set in it on her middle finger.

"We'll have to practice, but your psychic training from Jack will make it easier," he explained, making her frown up at him in wonder as he smiled, "We'll get it in no time."

"Get what?" she asked, meeting his gaze again as he lowered his hands.

"Well, go on then," he urged, making her frown deepen at him before he waved her on, explaining, "_Admire_ it. Isn't that what you girls do with jewelry? You admire it."

"It's lovely, now what do you mean, get it in no time?" she questioned again, not even looking to the ring again.

"Oh, alright," he smirked before pulling her hand into his again, drawing her gaze to it. "I was hoping to surprise you a _bit_, but since you're asking… We can control the effects of this pollen and _use_ it to communicate with each other telepathically."

"Really?" Olivia grinned, brightly. "Show me!"

"Alright, come here, then," he smiled, still holding her hand and pulling her to some chairs against the wall of the huge pool room.

He sat down and looked to Olivia with a frown when she pulled her hand from his but it fell away when she tossed her towel onto one of the empty chairs and sat herself on his knee.

"Right—" he choked before clearing his throat, making her smile at him, happy to know she still had that effect on him. "Right…now, the first time we must have contact, so take my hand."

She did as he asked, and giggled when he pulled it to his face and kissed the back of it with a wink.

"_Can you hear me, Liv?_" His voice filled her head, making her grin brightly again at him and she nodded, hugely. "_Use your training, Liv. That's the whole point of the exercise._"

"_Sorry, Theta. Yes, I can hear you_," she replied, still grinning.

"_Good, now let go of my hand_."

She obeyed without a word or thought.

"_Can you still hear me?_"

"_Faintly. Did I mess it up?_"

"_No, no, no. It's alright. You still feel my presence in your mind, yes?_"

"_Yes_," she nodded.

"_Good, hold onto that. Remember that feeling and whenever you want to talk to me like this, use it and send your thoughts to me, understand?_"

"_Yes_," she nodded again, and jumped when the bond snapped as he grinned.

"Good!" he grinned. "Lesson over. You did _very_ well. You get a lovely reward now."

"Oh, really?" she smirked, leaning against him and wrapping her arms around his neck, smiling, "And what do I get?"

Without another word he pressed his lips to hers, making her smile into the kiss before she gladly returned it and after a moment they pulled away, both grinning at each other like fools.

"Amy wants to go to Rio," the Doctor reported.

"When?" Olivia wondered through a smile.

"Well, as soon as possible, of course," he replied.

"No!" she laughed. "I mean when in Rio, you idiot!"

"Oh! Yes! I don't know."

"Then maybe we should find out," she smirked back, standing and taking his hand to pull him to his feet as he slung his arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the exit.

"_Liv_…"

Olivia stopped and looked around the room with a frown, making the Doctor look down at her in wonder.

"What's wrong, Liv?" he asked, glancing around the pool as well.

"I thought…" she trailed off, trying to determine who and where the whisper had come from or if she was just imagining it. "I thought I heard…my name. I guess it was nothing."

She looked back to him with a smile and a shrug before they resumed their walk to the exit again.

* * *

_Later..._

"Liv! Get that—!"

"Got it!"

"And hit that—!"

Olivia slammed her hand over a button as the TARDIS thrashed, she, the Doctor, Amy and Rory gripping tightly to the edges of the console.

"All this fuss just to get to Rio?!" Amy questioned, having changed into something suitable for the weather of their destination, and Olivia in her usual attire as she sailed around her, she and the Doctor piloted the TARDIS.

"It shouldn't be this…_difficult_!" the Doctor growled, slapping a lever into place and the TARDIS came to a stop, making him grin, "Ah ha! There! _Now_ she's behaving! Come on!"

The Doctor ran around the console as Olivia frowned up at the screen above it, but before she could say anything he grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door. Amy grabbed Rory's hand and followed them as they all reached the door.

"Um, Doctor—"

"Behold!" the Doctor cheered, interrupting Olivia and flinging the door open to let Amy and Rory pass. "Rio!"

The couple stepped out slowly, their smiles fading as they took in their surroundings of a cemetery.

"Not really getting the Sunshine Carnival vibe," Rory said as the Doctor dragged Olivia out to the TARDIS, the door shutting behind them.

"No—! Ooh…feel that, though," the Doctor replied, making the three frown at him. He looked to Olivia, still holding her hand and asked, "What's that?"

He pulled her ahead, making her stumble behind him until he stopped and jumped in his place, still holding her hand.

"Doctor, what—?"

"The ground feels strange," he mused before stopping and looking to Amy and Rory then looking to Olivia. "Can't you feel that? _You_ should be able to, at least."

"Ok, it feels…weird, but, Doctor, the thing is…we're not in Rio," she reminded him as he looked around again, satisfied with her answer. "Amy's gonna start complaining soon."

"Wait…that's weird," he murmured, looking around and making her frown in wonder at him before following his gaze.

"What's weird?" Rory asked.

"Doctor, stop trying to distract us," Amy snapped, marching toward him as he turned. "We're in the wrong _place_."

He ran around the TARDIS and around the church they were parked next to, dragging Olivia by the hand and making her stumble behind him as Amy and Rory followed.

"Doctor, it's _freezing_ and I've dressed for Rio!" Amy reminded him, irritably. "We are not stopping here."

The Doctor stopped and knelt down next to a patch of strange grass, making Olivia frown down at it as he let her hand go to pick at the grass and examine it.

"Doctor!" Amy called. "Are you listening to me? It's a _graveyard_! You promised me a _beach_!"

"Blue grass," the Doctor muttered, standing and still examining the blades.

"What is a style of music, Alex," Olivia smirked, making the Doctor smirk back before it instantly fell as he looked back to the ground.

"Patches of it all around the graveyard," he muttered before looking to Amy and Rory as they approached and Olivia took a blade from the pieces of grass in the Doctor's hand before he tucked them into his inside pocket. "So…Earth, 2020-ish, ten years in your future, wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit, but it's not a _massive_ overshoot."

"Why are those people waving at us?" Amy asked, making the three follow her gaze to a hill where two people stood atop it, waving at the four.

"Can't be," the Doctor murmured, pulling a pair of binoculars from his jacket pocket and making Olivia frown at him as he looked through them. "It _is_!"

"What _else_ do you have in your pockets?!" Olivia squeaked, turning him to pull it off. "Is it bigger on the inside like the TARDIS?!"

"Liv! Stop it! Ah! That tickles! Stop!" the Doctor ordered, trying to slap her hands away as she searched his jacket.

Amy rolled her eyes as she snatched the binoculars from his hand as he still tried to fight Olivia off but she only giggled in return. Amy pulled the binoculars up and looked through them before lowering them, her eyes wide in shock.

"It's us," she blurted then smiled as she looked to Rory then back at the pair on the hill.

"No…" Rory drawled. "We're _here_. How can we be up there?"

"Ten years into your future," Olivia reminded them in a giggle, still attacking the Doctor. "Come to relive past glories, probably."

"Humans," the Doctor smirked, finally gripping Olivia's hands and spinning her around to wrap his arms around her, hugging her from behind and making her laugh. "You're so nostalgic."

"Where can I get a jacket that's bigger on the inside?" Olivia smiled up at him over her shoulder.

"Later, sweet Liv," he whispered into her ear before pressing a kiss to her temple and making her grin, brightly.

"We're still together in ten years," Amy realized.

"No need to sound so surprised," Rory smiled, light-heartedly, taking the binoculars to look through them.

"Hey, let's go and talk to them!" Amy smiled. "We can say 'Hi' to the future us! How cool is that?"

"Uh, no, best not," the Doctor cut in, taking the binoculars from Rory.

"_Really_ better not," Olivia agreed as the Doctor tucked the binoculars away.

"These things get complicated very quickly, and—oh look," the Doctor explained then looked to his left, making Olivia do the same with a frown as he murmured, "Big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. See? Way better than Rio. Rio doesn't have a big mining thing."

"We're not gonna have a look, are we?" Amy groaned.

"You should know the answer to that, Amy," Olivia smirked to her.

"Let's go and have a look," the Doctor grinned to Amy, making her grin in return, unable to help it as he spun Olivia back around but held onto her hand as he hurried down the hill, calling, "Come on, you two! Let's see what they're doing!"

"Theta!" Olivia called as they were halfway away from the couple who were speaking at the top of the hill and he stopped to look at her with a frown. "I want something before we get into…whatever this is."

"Yes, Liv, I'll get you a jacket later, I prom—!"

He was cut off when Olivia pulled him by the hand and planted her lips to his for a passionate kiss before pulling back with a loud smack and she smiled slyly up at him as he cleared his throat nervously.

"That it?" he wondered.

"That's it," she shrugged before pulling him toward the mine, grinning, "Allons-y!"

* * *

**A/N:** amd onward to the next adventure! i couldn't resist the whole blue grass comment...it was begging to be said, and Liv totally would've said that, so it happened. reviews?


	26. A Patch of Earth

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 26: A Patch of Earth**_

"'Restricted Access'," Olivia read the sign on the metal gate as Amy and the Doctor stared at the machinery beyond it. "'No unauthorized personnel.' Well, we can't get in."

"Oh, Liv, don't you recall?" the Doctor smirked, reaching into his jacket pocket. "We've got Sonics."

He aimed his Sonic Screwdriver at the lock which sparked as it unlocked, making the girls jump.

"That is _breaking_ and _entering_!" Amy hissed.

"What did I break?" the Doctor shot back as he opened the gate. "_Sonicing_ and entering. Totally different."

"And I'm sure a jury of our peers would see it the same way," Olivia muttered as Amy headed past the gate but the Doctor looked behind them, making her stop and call, "Well, come on. Doctor?"

"You're sure Rory'll catch us up?" he called to Amy before waiting a moment and turning to head after the girls. "We should stay together."

"He'll be fine," Amy insisted as they headed deeper into the construction site.

They made their way into one of the buildings and Olivia held tightly to the Doctor's hand as she felt a hum through her feet. She wasn't sure what it was but she was sure it wasn't human. She frowned as she watched the Doctor pull out the blades of grass from his jacket and examine them before simply holding them, twiddling them in his fingers.

"What about now?" the Doctor asked Amy. "Can you feel it _now_?"

"Honestly I've got no idea what you're on about," Amy replied blankly, but stopped when the Doctor stopped in the hall, making both girls look to him in wonder.

"The ground doesn't feel like it should," he explained, strolling ahead again and Olivia frowned in disbelief when he bit on one of the blades of grass in his hand, Amy next to them.

"It's ten years in the future," Amy recalled. "Maybe how this ground feels is how it _always_ feels?"

"Good call, but no it doesn't," he replied as he handed the blades of grass to Olivia who took them with a frown then looked around in wonder when she realized there was a siren blaring from somewhere. He pulled out his Sonic and snapped it open to look at it as he said, "Hear that? Drill in start-up mode. After waves of a recent seismological shift and blue grass."

He stopped again, tucking his Sonic away before taking the grass back from Olivia and shoving it into his mouth before he spit it back out, making Olivia frown and cringe in disgust as Amy stopped in front of him, witnessing the scene as well.

"Oh, _please_!" Amy laughed. "Have you always been this _disgusting_?!"

"That would be a question for Liv," he replied, throwing the grass he'd just tried to eat away and looked at her. "And judging by the look she's giving me I'd say…no."

"Yeah, the disgusting thing is fairly recent," Olivia nodded as the Doctor looked ahead again to walk forward as Amy chuckled and followed him.

"What's in…" he turned a corner to reveal a huge room and a woman looking at computers as he finished, "…here?"

The Indian woman looked up and whipped off her glasses as the three entered.

"Hello!" the Doctor grinned as they headed toward her.

"Who are you?!" she demanded. "What are doing here?! And what are you _wearing_?"

"I dressed for Rio," Amy replied, irritably as the Doctor reached into his jacket.

"Ministry of Drills, Earth and Science," the Doctor announced, holding the Psychic Paper up before tucking it away again as he examined the equipment. "New ministry, quite big, just merged. There's a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Don't like to talk about it. What are you doing?"

"None of your business," the woman replied as the three reached her, looking at the screens in front of her.

Olivia stepped up to one of them as the woman stepped away from the computers and the Doctor watched Olivia for a moment before looking back at the readings on the screens, Amy stepping back to let them examine them.

"What are these readings from?" Olivia asked, not looking away from the screens.

"Under the soil," the woman replied, moving something in the middle of the room.

"The drill's up and running again," an older man called from the door, but Olivia didn't look away from the computer to look at him as he approached, the Doctor kneeling to the floor where there was a huge patch of dirt and Amy leaning on the of the machines on the other side of the room. "What's going on? Who are these people?"

"Amy, Olivia, the Doctor," Amy introduced as the Doctor picked up some dirt to examine it and Olivia remained at the computers. "We're not staying, _are we_, Doctor?"

"Why is there a big patch of Earth in the middle of your floor?" the Doctor questioned no one in particular.

"We don't know," the woman replied heading back to the computers. "It just appeared overnight."

"Doctor," Olivia called, catching his attention and he looked up at her in wonder as she looked to him over her shoulder and she shook her head. He recognized the look and the gesture as he stood.

"Good…right…" he began as he hurried toward Olivia to stand next to her, ordering, "You all need to get out of here very fast."

"Why?" the woman asked as Amy stepped toward the patch to stare at it.

"What's your name?" Olivia asked her as she and the Doctor both worked at the computers.

"Nasreen Chaudhry," she replied.

"Look at the screens, Nasreen," Olivia instructed. "Look at your readings."

"It's moving," the Doctor murmured.

"Hey!" the older man called, heading toward the three. "That's specialized equipment! Get away from it!"

"What is?" Nasreen asked of what Olivia and the Doctor were talking about.

"Doctor," Amy called from where she knelt next to the hole. "This steam, is that a good thing?"

The Doctor and Olivia turned to look at it, the Doctor stepping around it to pace and Olivia remaining next to the equipment as he admitted, "Shouldn't think so. It's shifting when it _shouldn't be_ shifting!"

"_What_ shouldn't?!" Nasreen questioned him, trying to get an answer as Amy stood tall again.

The ground suddenly shuddered, making them all stumble but they stayed on their feet as a strange sound came from the patch of Earth.

"The ground, the soil, the Earth, moving, but _how_? Why?" the Doctor continued, unfazed and still pacing.

"Earthquake?" Amy guessed.

"Doctor, it's going haywire!" Olivia called and he raced to her side.

"What's going on?" the man questioned.

"Doubt it," the Doctor finally answered Amy's question. "Cause it's only happening under this room."

At that moment four more patches opened up, making the five in the room gasp and stare at them.

"It knows we're here," the Doctor explained. "It's attacking."

"The _ground's_ attacking us," Olivia realized, running to the Doctor as he held his hand out to her and she took it to stand next to him.

"That's not possible!" Nasreen argued.

"Under the circumstances, I'd suggest…_run_!" the Doctor replied.

He shot off toward the door as he gripped tightly to Olivia's hand, and she held her hand toward Nasreen as she ran after them. Nasreen instantly caught up, gripping Olivia's hand and the Doctor dragged them to the door, but they soon realized they were missing two people. The three whirled around to see the man kneeling on the ground and Amy trying to make her way past the patches surrounding her.

"Tony!" Nasreen called in panic.

"Stay back, Amy!" the Doctor shouted. "Stay away from the Earth!"

They all watched as Amy jumped over one of the holes, making Olivia gasp in fright as Amy bent over Tony to help him up. The floor gave way beneath her feet and she screamed as she was suddenly knee deep into the Earth.

"_Amy_!" the Doctor shouted as he shot off toward her, Olivia and Nasreen right behind him.

"Doctor, help me! Something's got me!" Amy shouted before she screamed again and fell deeper into the Earth, now up to her thighs.

"Take my hand!" the Doctor ordered her, kneeling in front of her as he held his hand out and she instantly grasped it, his other hand gripping her arm to attempt to pull her out as Nasreen and Olivia helped Tony stand to make their escape toward the door but they stopped to watch the Doctor and Amy.

"Doctor, the ground's got my legs!" Amy shouted, grabbing his hand and he tried to pull her out. "Don't let go."

"Never," he assured her.

"Hold on, Amy! I'm coming to help!" Olivia called, taking a step forward.

"_No_!" the Doctor shouted, making her freeze and stare at him. "Olivia! You stay right where you are!"

"Doctor, what is it and why is it doing this?" Amy questioned, panting out of panic.

"Stay calm. Keep hold of my hand. Don't let go," he urged before looking over his shoulder to call, "Your drill, shut it down! Go! Now!"

Olivia watched Nasreen and Tony head for the control room before looking to the Doctor and Amy, feeling useless. She refused to be useless. She made a step toward the two but stumbled as the ground quaked, making her give a shout of surprise.

"Olivia! Don't!" the Doctor shouted.

"But I can help!" Olivia shouted back.

"And who's gonna help _you_ if you get sucked in, eh?!" he shouted over his shoulder. "I can't be in two places at once, Olivia!"

"Can you get me out?" Amy panicked further as he looked back at her.

"Amy, try and stay calm," he urged again, panicking himself as he felt her being sucked further into the ground. "If you struggle it'll make things worse. Keep hold of my hand."

The ground was pulling her further in, now past her waist as he held onto her arm and hand, struggling to keep hold of her and pull her out.

"I'm not gonna let you go," he growled, as if assuring her and meeting the challenge the ground was putting to him. He tried pulling harder, both struggling before his hand slipped and he fell back, making her scream, but he quickly moved back to grab her hand, laying on his stomach.

"Doctor, it's pulling me down!" Amy called in a panic. "Something is pulling me!"

"Stay calm," he urged. "Just hold on. If they can just shut down the drill…"

She was up to her shoulders in it now as she screamed, "I can't hold on!"

Olivia felt tears come to her eyes as she stomped her feet in frustration. There had to _something_ she could do to help, but being stuck in one spot only left her with watching the scene unfold before her.

"What's pulling me?" Amy shuddered as she questioned the Doctor, only her head and arm above the hole now, tears in her eyes. "What is under the Earth? I don't wanna suffocate under there."

"Amy, concentrate," he pleaded with her. "Don't you give up!"

"Tell Rory…" Amy trailed off, whimpering in fear before she was pulled from the Doctor's grip and into the Earth.

"_Amy_!" the Doctor shouted as her hand slipped from his and she was gone. "_No_!"

All he could say was 'no' as he tried to dig through the Earth but he knew it was no use as he stood and pulled the Sonic from his jacket to scan the patch. Olivia slapped her hands over her face and sobbed into them, staying where she was as the Earth stopped quaking. She heard Nasreen and Tony return and looked up to see them hurrying toward the Doctor, making her uproot herself from her spot and rush toward him. As he lowered the Sonic he turned just in time to catch Olivia as she threw her arms around him and he felt her sob into his shoulder, silently as he held her.

"Where is she?" Nasreen asked him.

"She's gone," he replied, feeling Olivia jerk with a sob. "The ground took her."

"Theta, I'm sorry," Olivia shuddered as Nasreen went to examine the computers. "If I hadn't distracted you—"

"Don't, Olivia," he ground out, pushing her away enough to stare into her eyes. "Don't start saying this was your fault. It could've been _you_, then it would've been worse because I'd be even angrier than I am now. So _don't_."

Olivia bit her lower lip but nodded before lifting her hands to stroke his cheeks, keeping his gaze as she whispered, "We'll get her back, Theta. I know we will."

"Is that what happened to Mo?" Tony asked, drawing their attention to him before the Doctor began pacing and Olivia headed toward the computers to examine them with Nasreen. "Are they dead?"

Olivia bit her lip again as she examined the screens, trying desperately to stop the tears gathering in her eyes from falling as Nasreen looked to the Doctor who still paced next to the patch of Earth.

"It's not quicksand," he replied, making Olivia look back at him as he still paced. "She didn't just _sink_. Something _pulled_ her in. It wanted her."

"The ground wanted her?" Olivia frowned in wonder as he looked to Nasreen.

"You said the ground was dormant," he recalled, still pacing. "Just a patch of Earth when you first saw it this morning and the drill had been stopped."

"That's right," Tony nodded as the Doctor looked to Olivia and she seemed to realize what he had in that moment.

"But when you re-started the drill the ground fought back," Olivia breathed, keeping the Doctor's gaze and he nodded to her.

"So, what? The _ground_ wants to stop us drilling?" Nasreen frowned sardonically to Olivia as the Doctor pulled out his Sonic and knelt next to the patch to scan it again. "That is ridiculous."

Olivia stepped up to the patch to watch the Doctor work, ignoring Nasreen's comment and frowning in wonder when the dirt moved slightly and gave a rumble until the Doctor lifted his Sonic, snapping it open to see the results of his scan.

"I'm not saying that, and it's not ridiculous, I just don't think it's right," the Doctor replied before leaning his forehead on his hand and laughing softly, "Of _course_. It's bio-programming."

"What?" Nasreen scoffed as Olivia nodded as if she should've known as well as he tucked the Sonic away.

"Bio-programming!" he called again as he jumped to his feet, clapping as he shouted, "Clever!"

"Bio-programming is using bio-signals to resonate the internal molecular structure of natural objects," Olivia explained to Nasreen and Tony.

"It's mainly used in engineering and construction, mostly jungle planets, but that's way in the future, and not here," the Doctor explained, making Olivia smile at his gestures and words as he still paced. "What's it doing _here_?"

"Sorry, did you just say 'jungle planets'?" Nasreen wondered if she'd heard right.

"You're not making any _sense_, man!" Tony snapped, making the Doctor stop and look to him with a frown.

"Excuse me, I'm making _perfect_ sense," he replied. "You're just not keeping up."

Nasreen crossed her arms in front of her with a scoff as Olivia held a hand up to silently tell him to calm himself. He glared at her but she only raised a brow at him and he rolled his eyes before turning back to Nasreen and Tony.

"The Earth, the ground beneath our feet, was bio-programmed to attack," he explained.

"Yeah, even if that were possible—which, by the way, it's not—why?" Nasreen questioned.

"To stop you from drilling," Olivia replied before the Doctor took over again.

"Ok, so we find what's doing the bio-programming, we can find Amy, we can get her back," he explained before he glanced around then ordered, "Sh! Sh! Have I gone mad? I've gone mad."

"Doctor—?" Olivia frowned.

"Sh! Sh! Silence! Absolute Silence!" the Doctor ordered, holding a finger up and making her stare at him with wide eyes but she obeyed. The three watched him in wonder as he stepped over the patch to stand with them and he asked Nasreen, "You stopped the drill, right?"

"Yes," Nasreen replied, as if he should know.

"And you've only got the one drill?"

"Yes," Nasreen drawled again.

"You're _sure_ about that?"

"Yes!" Tony hissed.

"Doctor?" Olivia called, cautiously but received a finger pressed to her lips, firmly, making her frown at him as he looked around the room. He hopped over the patch again and laid down on the floor to press his ear to the ground.

"So, if you shut the drill down…" he trailed off for a moment before finishing, "…why can I still hear drilling?"

Olivia frowned as she knelt down to touch the floor, Tony and Nasreen both leaning closer to the patch to listen as well.

"It's under the ground," Olivia realized, staring at the Doctor.

"That's not possible," Tony argued as the Doctor shot to his feet.

"Ok, you guys _really_ have to stop saying things like that," Olivia warned as she stood and headed toward the computers, the Doctor using his Sonic on them before she began typing at the keyboards.

"Oh, no!" Nasreen called, rushing toward them to stop them, Tony right behind her. "What are you doing?!"

"Hacking your records," Olivia replied, not looking away from the screens as she typed the Doctor gently pushing Nasreen back. "Probe reports, samples, sensors…"

"Good," the Doctor nodded, watching her work. "Just unite the data, make it all one big conversation."

"Alright, dear, let's have a look…" Olivia murmured in concentration before standing tall. "So, we're here and _this_ is your drill hole."

"21.009 kilometers," the Doctor nodded before looking to Nasreen and Tony as they looked at him. "Well done."

"Thank you," Nasreen replied cautiously. "It's taken us a long time."

"Why _here_, though?" the Doctor asked. "Why'd you drill on this site?"

"We found patches grass in this area containing trace minerals unseen in this country for…twenty million years," Nasreen replied.

"The blue grass!" Olivia recalled.

"Oh, Nasreen," the Doctor smiled, patting the woman's shoulder. "Those trace minerals weren't X marking the spot, saying 'Dig Here.' They were a warning. 'Stay Away.' 'Cause while you've been drilling _down_, somebody else has been drilling _up_."

"Doctor, look at this," Olivia urged, typing at the computer before drawing their attentions to it.

"Oh…beautiful," the Doctor murmured before explaining, "Network of tunnels all the way down."

"No, no," Tony objected, gesturing to the screen. "We've surveyed that area."

"You only saw what you went looking for," the Doctor replied before something started beeping on the screen, catching their attentions.

"Oh…what…what are they?" Nasreen wondered as they all looked to three glowing dots on the screen.

"Heat signals," Olivia replied, reading the screen then frowned and typed at the keyboard. "No…wait. Dual readings…hot _and_ cold. That…doesn't make any sense. Now they're moving…_fast_. Doctor—"

"How many people live nearby?" the Doctor asked Nasreen and Tony.

"Just my daughter and her family," Tony replied. "The rest of the staff travel in."

"Grab this equipment and follow me," the Doctor instructed before grabbing Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the door.

"Why?" Nasreen called. "What are we doing?"

The Doctor wheeled around again to march back toward them, still dragging Olivia with him and she felt his grip tighten on her hand as he replied, "That _noise_ isn't a drill. It's _transport_. Three of them, thirty kilometers down. Rate of speed looks like about one hundred and fifty kilometers an hour. Should be here in…ooh…quite soon."

"Twelve minutes," Olivia replied, doing the math as he rattling off the numbers.

He turned to head back toward the door, leaving the two to gather the equipment and still dragging Olivia with him as he called, "Whatever bio-programmed the Earth is on its way up…_now_."

Olivia looked up at him and knew he was angry because whatever was coming up must have been what had Amy…at least they both hoped. She let him drag her through the building as she concentrated on using their telepathic link, and when he stopped dead to stare down at her, she felt him respond to her touch to his mind.

"_Theta…_" she tried, their eyes locking and he gave a nod that he'd heard her. "_Amy's ok. I __know__ she is. We'll get her back_."

He took in a slow breath and she gave a smile when he nodded before lifting her hand to kiss it. The moment was lost when they both heard Nasreen and Tony hurrying toward them and he turned to lead them out of the building.

"_Thank you, Liv_," she heard his voice in her mind as he dragged her behind him. "_You always know just how to calm me down. It's one of the many reasons I love you_."

"_I love you too, Theta_," she smiled before the link faded and they were silent until the Doctor led them outside and they hurried down the trail to Tony's daughter's home.

"How can something be coming up when there's only the Earth's crust down there?" Tony questioned as they hurried down the trail.

"You saw the readings," the Doctor replied.

"Who _are_ you two, anyway?" Nasreen question as they lugged the equipment after them. "How can you _know_ all this?"

Something red flared in the sky making them all stop and stare.

"Did you see that?!" Nasreen asked as they all still stared at the sky, seeing a web of red lights flaring in the sky.

"No, no, no!" the Doctor chanted.

Olivia looked to him with a frown before he let go of her hand and reached into his jacket to pull out a slingshot, making her eyes widen before he lifted a rock from the ground and used the slingshot to shoot the rock at the sky. The red webbing hissed and fizzed when the rock hit it and Olivia frowned up at it again as the Doctor tucked away the slingshot and she instantly pulled out her Sonic to aim it up where he'd hit it.

"Energy signal originating from under the Earth," she reported to him, using the telepathic interface as she still aimed her Sonic at the sky, the sonic waves making it go red with glowing red veins all around the area. "We're trapped."

"Doctor!" they heard Rory call and Olivia looked to him to see him hurrying toward them down the street from one of the houses, a woman and a boy hurrying after him. "Something weird's going on here. The graves are _eating_ people."

"Not now, Rory!" the Doctor called, still staring at the sky as Olivia still scanned it. "Liv, what else are you reading?"

"It's an energy barricade," Olivia reported. "Invisible to the naked eye."

"We can't get out, and no one from the outside world can get in," the Doctor explained.

"What?" Rory blurted before thinking for a moment then added, "Ok, what about the TARDIS?"

"The _what_?" Nasreen questioned.

"Uh, no, those energy patterns would play havoc with the circuits," the Doctor replied as he waved to Olivia that she lower her Sonic, and when she obeyed, the red of the barricade faded to become invisible again. "With a bit of time, maybe, but we've only got nine and a half minutes."

"Nine and a half minutes to what?" Rory asked, looking to his watch.

"We're trapped and something's burrowing towards the surface," Nasreen explained for the three that hadn't been with them and Olivia felt her stomach turn when she noticed Rory looking around for someone, and she knew who.

"Where's Amy?" he asked, making the Doctor look to him.

"Get everyone to inside the church," the Doctor ordered Tony and Nasreen instead of answering Rory's question, making Olivia sigh as she stepped toward Rory, resigned to the realization that _she_ was going to have to tell Rory what had happened as the rest of them grabbed the equipment and headed toward the church.

"Rory," she called, drawing his attention to her as she tucked her Sonic away then placed her hands on his shoulders to meet his gaze. "We'll get her back."

"What do you mean 'Get her back'?" Rory questioned, glancing around at the people that passed them before he looked back at her, demanding, "Where's she gone?"

Olivia sighed as she wrapped her arm around one of Rory's to pull him with her, following the group to the church.

"The Earth took her," Olivia explained, making Rory stare at her with wide eyes as they hurried along.

"How?" Rory questioned. "Why didn't theDoctor stop it?!"

"He _tried_, Rory!" Olivia snapped defensively, shoving him away so they could face each other as they stopped walking. "I watched him! He _tried_!"

"Well he should've tried _harder_!" Rory yelled an inch away from her face as she only glared back at him, standing her ground until she felt a hand on her arm and looked up to her right to see the Doctor staring at Rory. She stepped back and let the Doctor stand face to face with Rory as she took in a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'll find Amy," he assured Rory, meeting his gaze evenly. "I'll keep you all safe, I _promise_."

Rory gave a soft scoff and Olivia sent a glare to him but the Doctor placed his hands on Rory's shoulders, urging, "Come on, please. I need you alongside me."

Rory only stared at the Doctor for a moment before the Time Lord stepped away, seeing his answer in the man's gaze and Rory looked to Olivia as she headed after the Doctor but he caught her arm before she was out of reach.

"I'm sorry…I yelled," he murmured. "It's not your fault. _Either_ of you."

"It's alright," she nodded, looking up at him as he let go of her arm and she placed her hand on his shoulder to look him in the eye. "We'll get her back, Rory. I _swear_ to you, we will."

* * *

**A/N:** another reason it took me so long to get to this is because i wasn't sure if i should have Olivia being sucked into the ground along with Amy and experience everything from that point of view, then I realized that would've been WAY too much for the poor Doctor. he's already dealing with losing Amy to God knows what, i couldn't take Liv from him too. reviews?


	27. A Prisoner

**A/N:** I'm sorry this took me so long! i started a new job that's been keeping me SUPER busy, but here it is! new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 27: A Prisoner**_

The Doctor and Olivia helped Nasreen and Tony set up their equipment in the church filled with household things piled around them as if someone was either moving in or out. Tony's daughter, Ambrose, her son, Elliot and Rory watching the four work.

"So, we can't get out, we can't contact anyone, and _something_…the something that took my husband…is coming _up_ through the Earth," Ambrose summarized, the skepticism dripping from her tone.

"Yes," the Doctor replied walking around to face her. "If we move quickly enough, we can be ready."

"No, stop," Ambrose snapped as Olivia looked up from moving something and glared at her as he turned to head back toward the equipment. "_This_ has gone far enough. I mean, what _is_ this?!"

"He's telling the truth, love," Tony tried as the Doctor and Olivia worked, and Olivia looked to Rory as he leaned on a wall adjacent from them, watching everyone.

"Come on!" Ambrose drawled, still skeptical. "It's not the first time we've had no mobile or phone signals! Reception's always rubbish."

"Look, Ambrose, we saw the Doctor's friend get taken, ok?" Nasreen began, looking to the other woman. "_You_ saw the lightening in the sky. I have seen the impossible today, and the only person who's made any sense of it, for me, is the Doctor."

"Him?!" Ambrose snapped.

"Me!" the Doctor grinned, making Olivia smirk at him before they both turned back to their work.

"Can you get my dad back?" Elliot asked as the Doctor lifted an extension cord to trail it back toward the wall.

He stopped and turned to Elliot as all eyes turned to him. Olivia half expected him to glance at her but he kept his gaze on Elliot, and she could tell he didn't need any silent confidence from her…not after whatever this was had taken Amy.

"Yes," the Doctor told Elliot, definitely before marching toward him and Ambrose. "But I need you to trust me and do exactly as I say from this second onwards, because we are running out of time."

Olivia watched Ambrose as she met the Doctor's gaze but everyone could see the uncertainty in her, and hear it in her voice when she told him, "So tell us what to do."

"Thank you," the Doctor replied, before looking to his watch. "We have eight minutes to set up a line of defense. Bring me every phone, every camera, every piece of recording or transmitting equipment you can find. Every burglar alarm, every movement sensor, every security light! I want the whole area covered with sensors!"

The group went to work. They gathered everything he'd asked for, then set to work placing everything around the area outside. The Doctor and Olivia used their Sonic Screwdrivers when needed, and Olivia remained silent as they worked, only answering a question or two.

Once back inside, she stood at the computers they'd set up to monitor the objects coming to the surface. The Doctor sailed up next to her but she didn't look away from the screen, making him frown at her in wonder.

"Liv?" he murmured, making her finally look at him with wide eyes. "You alright?"

She gave a small smile before looking back at the screen and nodding, "I'm fine, Theta. I'll be better once we figure out whatever this is and get Amy back."

He nodded and quickly pressed a kiss to her cheek before looking to the rest of the group.

"Right, guys, we need to be ready for whatever's coming up," he explained, then looked to Elliot, pointing to him and calling, "I need a map of the village, marking where the cameras are going."

"I can't do the words," Elliot explained coming up to stand on the other side of the table where the Doctor and Olivia stood. "I'm dyslexic."

"Oh, that's alright," the Doctor replied, leaning down to be eye level with the boy. "I can't make a decent meringue. Draw like your life depends on it, Elliot."

"Six minutes, forty seconds, Doctor," Olivia called as everyone worked around her and she stayed at the one computer before Tony called the Doctor to the computer he was working on.

"Works in quadrants," Tony explained. "Every movement sensor and triplight we've got. If anything moves, we'll know."

"Good lad!" the Doctor cheered, patting him on the back before hurrying toward Olivia to take her hand and pull her toward the door. "Let's get you off the computer for a bit. Follow me."

"But I'm—!" She cut herself off with a sigh as he pulled her outside. "Fine."

He stopped her at a meals-on-wheels van and opened the door to look inside, making her frown at him in wonder but she whirled around when she heard someone behind them call out to them.

"Oi!" Ambrose called, making Olivia give her a glare before she frowned at the bundle in her arms. "What are you doing?!"

"Resources!" the Doctor called back as Olivia remained silent. "Every little helps! Meals-on-wheels. What've you got here, then? Warmer in the front, refrigerated in the back."

Olivia watched the Doctor run to the back of the van to examine it then turned to Ambrose with a frown when the woman set the load she was carrying in the front seat of the van.

"Bit chilly for a hideout, mind," Ambrose warned him before stepping away from the door and Olivia looked into the front seat.

"What are these?" she questioned, making Ambrose look to her as Olivia pointed to the items.

"Like he said, every little helps," Ambrose replied as the Doctor stepped closer to examine the items as well. A cricket bat, a tazor, a huge sledgehammer, and a rifle with a few huge sticks sat across the seats.

"No," the Doctor objected. "No weapons. It's not the way we do things."

"Well, you said we're supposed to be _defending_ ourselves!" she replied indignantly, making Olivia roll her eyes at the woman.

"Oh, Ambrose, you're better than this," the Doctor smirked. "I'm asking nicely. Put them away."

He smiled at Ambrose before leaning forward to take Olivia's hand and pull her along with him back into the church. He pulled her toward the computer again and they both examined the screen and countdown.

"I don't know about her, Theta," she murmured. "I have a bad feeling about her."

"That means you too, Liv," he murmured, making her turn a frown at him as he looked back at her. "No stun gun. I saw you sneak into the TARDIS to get it. I know you have it on you."

"But…it only stuns," she argued, gently. "And much as I hate to admit it, Ambrose is right. We've gotta defend ourselves somehow! It worked for me at Torchwood."

"You're not _in_ Torchwood anymore, Olivia," he retorted, standing tall to loom over her as they kept each other's gazes. "Don't encourage them, please."

She only nodded before looking back to the screen just as Elliot ran up to them and their gazes turned to him when he showed them the map he'd been working on.

"Look at that!" the Doctor grinned, taking the map to look at it. "Perfect! Dyslexia never stopped Da Vinci or Einstien. It's not stopping _you_."

"Got a regular Michelangelo on our hands, here!" Olivia complimented, tousling Elliot's hair as he smiled up at them.

"I don't understand what you're gonna do," Elliot admitted.

"Two-phase plan," the Doctor began. "First the sensors and cameras will let us know something arrives. Second, if something _does_ arrive…" he pulled his Sonic from his pocket, continuing, "I use this to send a sonic pulse through that network of devices."

"A pulse which would temporarily incapacitate most things in the universe," Olivia smirked and the Doctor pointed his Sonic at her with a smirk before taking the map and running around to another computer on the table.

"Knock 'em out," Elliot smirked, drawing her attention to him. "Cool."

"Lovely place to grow up, 'round here," the Doctor smiled.

"Suppose," Elliot shrugged, he and Olivia watching the Doctor work. "I wanna live in a city one day. Soon as I'm old enough, I'll be off."

"I was the same, where I grew up," the Doctor smirked.

"Did you get away?" Elliot wondered as Olivia kept her eyes on the Doctor.

"Yeah," he hummed, looking to the screens in front of him.

"Do you ever miss it?" Elliot asked and the Doctor looked to the boy.

Olivia felt a sorrow flow over her at the look in the Doctor's eyes and felt near tears. She soon noticed he was twirling the ring with the psychic speck embedded in it around his finger with his thumb and realized she wasn't just feeling the empathy for him, but _his_ sorrow as well.

"So much," he answered Elliot, and Olivia wanted to throw her arms around him…hold him, but she somehow restrained herself.

"Is it monsters coming?" Elliot asked, before looking to Olivia who looked back at him, the Doctor stepping toward them. "Have you two met monsters before?"

"Yes," Olivia nodded as the Doctor stopped just behind her.

"You scared of them?" Elliot questioned.

"No," the Doctor blurted. "They're scared of us."

"Will you really get my dad back?" Elliot hoped.

"No question, kid," Olivia smirked and the Doctor nodded.

"And what Olivia Felton says, goes," he replied before turning to the computer.

"I left my headphones at home," Elliot said, and the Doctor gave a thumbs-up before the boy hurried toward the door and Olivia watched him before looking to the Doctor.

"You think one of us should go with him?" she wondered.

"Why?" he asked, not looking away from the screen.

"Because he's a _kid_," she replied, as if he should know. "What if those things get here while he's gone? He'll be by himself!"

She watched him staring at the screen for a moment longer before shaking her head with a sigh.

"I'm going with him," she reported and turned to head toward the door.

"Ok," he called, deftly. "Be careful, Liv!"

"Yeah, yeah!" she called, waving as she continued walking.

* * *

_Later..._

"Come on, Elliot!" Olivia called, looking around outside the house. A moment later he was running out the door, his headphones around his neck.

"Alright, we'd better hurry up and get…back…" Olivia trailed off when she looked up at the sky that suddenly and rapidly darkened.

"What's that?" Elliot asked as he looked up as well, stepping closer to Olivia, and she placed a hand around his shoulders.

"My guess? They're doing it to scare us," she replied before they both stumbled slightly when the ground shook. "Yup. Time to run."

Olivia grabbed Elliot's hand and dragged him back toward the church, trying to ignore the sounds of banging coming from the Earth beneath them. It wasn't long before they reached the graveyard and she heard something pass behind them but kept running, feeling Elliot stumble behind her.

"Wait! Olivia—!"

"Don't stop, Elliot! Don't look back!"

They soon reached the door and began banging on it, both yelling at the people inside to let them in. Without another thought Olivia reached into her jacket and tried the Sonic on the warped wood of the door, Elliot still trying to open it. When nothing happened she frowned at her screwdriver in absolute confusion.

"Push, Elliot!" they heard Ambrose shout from the other side of the door.

"Doctor! My Sonic won't work!" Olivia called, pushing against the door along with Elliot.

"It doesn't do wood!" he called from the other side.

"Oh…" she ground out through clenched teeth before starting to slam into the door to get it open.

"That's…!" Slam. "Just…!" Slam "_Great_!"

They heard snarling behind them, making them slow their pounding and Olivia just as slowly turned to see a strange silhouette standing a foot or so away from them. Without a second thought, Olivia grabbed Elliot and shoved him behind her, lifting her Sonic, ready to use it, though for what she didn't know. It was smacked from her hand and she was shoved against the stone wall outside the door, her head hitting the stone so hard that it made her dizzy. She thought she caught the faint sounds of Elliot calling to her…the Doctor calling to her…then her world went faded to black.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia frowned, groaning as she awoke. Her head was pounding and the sunlight made it worse when her eyes fell open, but she shut them again.

Wait…

"Sunlight?" she groaned in wonder. The last thing she remembered was darkness and Elliot…

"Liv?" the Doctor murmured, making her eyes flutter open again. "You alright? I've got a pill for your headache."

"Where's Elliot?" she groaned, sitting up on the couch she was lying in. "Is he ok? I tried to stop it—"

"I know," he nodded, meeting her gaze. "Liv, they took him." Her eyes widened, but he quickly continued, "But, there's good news. We've got one of theirs. I was about to question her, if you'd like to join in."

"What are they, Theta?" she whispered, making him smirk.

"I've met them before," he replied. "Well…an offshoot anyway. You'll see."

"Doctor, I have to make sure she doesn't have a concussion," Rory objected from behind him. "She shouldn't get up."

"Thanks, Rory, but I've been thrashed around enough to know when I should and shouldn't move," Olivia smiled up at him. "It's just a headache. I'll take one of the Doctor's magic pills and I'll be fine."

"See? She's fine," the Doctor smiled before holding his hand out to Olivia. "But, to be safe, I won't drag you 'round as I usually do."

"Thanks," she smirked, taking his hand and she slowly stood, wincing only slightly at the throb that accompanied it before he handed her a pill to take.

"Are you sure about this?" Rory asked, following the Doctor as he pulled Olivia out of the church and toward the door to the cellar. "By yourselves?"

"_Very_ sure," the Doctor replied as they stopped at the top of the stairs leading deeper into the cellar. The sun shone into the room and Olivia frowned when she realized it was empty.

"But, the sting…" Rory reminded him, making Olivia frown at him.

"What sting?" Olivia blurted, looking to the Doctor. "There's a sting and you failed to tell me that?"

"Tony got it in the neck," Rory told her, making her look to him then the Doctor.

"Venom gland takes at least twenty-four hours to recharge," the Doctor explained for the both of them, still looking to the bottom of the stairs in the cellar and called, "Am I right?"

All that came as a reply was strange, heavy breathing that made Olivia stare wide eyes ahead into the cellar before she looked to the Doctor with them again. He looked to Olivia and Rory with a quick nod.

"I know what I'm doing," he assured them both before clapping a hand to Rory's shoulder as Olivia brushed the ring on her middle finger with her thumb.

"_I hope so, Theta_," she whispered to him telepathically and he met her eyes with a smile in response.

"We'll be fine," he nodded, glancing to Rory before he turned and headed back up top, the Doctor taking Olivia's hand to pull her down the stairs with him.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Olivia gripped his hand tightly when she saw something crawl out of the shadows and into the light. She now saw the silhouette that had thrown her against the stone and knocked her out…but now she saw its full form. Humanoid, and it moved on its hands and legs, its movements like a serpent or reptile.

"I'm the Doctor," he reported to it, letting go of Olivia's hand as she stopped and he slowly approached the figure. "I've come to talk."

"Doctor," Olivia called in warning but he only held a hand out to her, still moving toward the creature and not looking away from it.

"I'm going to remove your mask," he explained, making Olivia heart skip in panic and she watched him crouch in front of the thing to slowly lifted his hands to the silver mask settled over a strangely shaped, green-scaled skin. A chill ran up her spine at the heavy breathing coming from it, sounding like a hissing snake and when she saw the Doctor lower the mask, her gaze turned from horror to awe. A very human looked face had been hiding behind that mask. A human face covered in green scales.

"You are beautiful," the Doctor smiled, staring at her in examination as Olivia stepped closer to stare at her as well, crouching next to him and staring on in awe. "Remnant of a bygone age on planet Earth. And by the way…lovely mode of travel. Geothermal currents projecting you up through a network of tunnels." He kissed the tips of his fingers, continuing, "Gorgeous! Mind if I sit?"

Olivia stood with the Doctor as he stepped toward the back wall and she watched the creature on the floor look away in exasperated confusion. She turned her attention to the Doctor when he grabbed two chairs, set one up next to her and patted the seat, smiling at Olivia and she took a seat as he set up the other chair next to hers.

"Now," he began, reaching for one of Olivia's hands as it sat on her leg. His fingers curled around hers as he kept their hands on her leg, his gaze now serious and on the prisoner in front of them. "Your people have a friend of ours. We want her back. Why did you come to the surface? What do you want?"

She didn't respond and Olivia felt his fingers grip hers in irritation that the prisoner was remaining silent.

"Oh, I do hate a monologue, give us a bit back," the Doctor smirked, hiding his frustration and anger well, but Olivia could feel it in his grip. "How many are you?"

"I'm the last of my species," she finally replied, making Olivia give a small frown before she looked to the Doctor when his grip tightened again.

"Really?" he replied in a low tone. "No. 'Last of the species.' The Klempari defense. As an interrogation defense, it's a bit old hat, I'm afraid."

"I'm the last of my species," she repeated.

"No. You're really not," he retorted. "Because I'm the last of my species and I _know_ how it sits in a heart. So don't _insult_ me."

Olivia saw the shift in their prisoner's attitude, noting the slight bit of respect that cropped up in her eyes, but Olivia's revelation was overpowered by the guilt, sorrow and loneliness that flowed over her through their telepathic bond.

"Let's start again," he suggested as Olivia remained silent. "Tell me your name."

The prisoner remained silent for a moment before finally replying, "Alaya."

"How long has your tribe been sleeping under the Earth, Alaya?" he asked, and she looked at him in mild confusion, so he explained, "It's not difficult to work out. You're three hundred million years out of your comfort zone. Question is: What woke you now?"

"We were _attacked_," Alaya sneered.

"The drill," Olivia murmured in realization and the Doctor nodded in agreement.

"Our sensors detected a threat to our life support systems," Alaya explained. "The warrior class was activated to prevent the assault. We will _wipe_ the vermin from the surface and reclaim our planet."

"Do you _have_ to call us 'vermin'?" Olivia wondered, slight irritation lacing her tone that made the Doctor pat her hand to try calming her. "We're actually really nice."

"Primitive apes," Alaya sneered at her, making Olivia glare at her and the Doctor held her hand to keep her from jumping the prisoner.

"Extraordinary species," the Doctor quickly defended. "You attack them, they'll fight back. But…there's a peace to be brokered here. I can help you with that."

"This land is _ours_," Alaya argued. "We lived here long before the apes."

"Doesn't give you automatic rights to it _now_, I'm afraid," the Doctor replied. "Humans won't give up the planet."

"So we _destroy_ them," Alaya sneered.

"You underestimate us," Olivia shot back.

"Liv—"

"_You_ underestimate _us_!" Alaya hissed.

"One tribe of homo reptilia against six _billion_ humans?" the Doctor cut in. "You've got your work cut out."

Alaya stood, holding onto the chains on her wrists that were attached to the wall and snapped, "_We_ did not initiate combat. But we can _still_ win."

Olivia stood as well, but the Doctor kept a tight grip on her hand, not letting her advance as she and Alaya stared each other down.

"Tell me where our friend is," he asked again. "Give us back the people who were taken."

"No," Alaya replied without hesitation with a smirk that enraged Olivia to no end but she looked to the Doctor as he stood.

"I'm not going to let you provoke a war, Alaya," he warned her, pulling the chairs he and Olivia had been sitting on the put them back against the wall behind Alaya. "There'll be no battle here today."

"The fire of war is already lit," Alaya argued as he walked back to Olivia, taking her hand and pulling her toward the stairs without missing a step. "A massacre is due."

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked to Alaya to object, "Not while I'm here."

"I'll gladly _die_ for my cause," Alaya spat. "What will you _sacrifice_ for yours?"

Olivia looked to him as he only gave a wry smile before turning and heading up the stairs and out of the cellar, dragging Olivia with him.

"Theta?" she called once they were clear of the door and he was leading her toward the entrance to the church where their group was waiting. He stopped and looked to her with a slight frown, still holding her hand. "I know that look you gave her. You're not putting your life on the line. I want Amy back too, but I'm being selfish and telling you that you are _not_ leaving me—"

"I'm not leaving you, Liv," he murmured, making her frown up at him in confusion. "I've got a plan, and I'm not sacrificing any_thing_, or any_one_ to execute it."

He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek before pressing a soft kiss to it, pulling her close to whisper in her ear, "Trust me, Liv. We'll all get out of this. I promise."

"We'd better," she breathed, burying her face into his neck as she hugged him. "I'll never forgive you if we don't."

* * *

**A/N:** I fiddled around with the idea of Olivia getting kidnapped around that time too, but i decided against it. i have other plans for her ;) reviews?


	28. A Fatal Blow

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 28: A Fatal Blow**_

"You're going to…_what_?" Olivia asked for the group as they looked to the Doctor incredulously as they sat around the room.

"I'm going to go down below the surface to find the rest of the tribe, to talk to them," he explained, Olivia standing in front of him as he sat in a plastic covered armchair, her arms crossed in front of her and staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"You're gonna _negotiate_ with these aliens?" Ambrose questioned, indignantly.

"They're not aliens!" he argued. "They're _Earth_…liens. Once known as the Silurian race, or, some would argue, Eocenes, or Homo Reptilia. Not monsters, not _evil_. Well…only as evil as you are. The previous owners of the planet, that's all."

The Doctor stood and looked around at the group then to Olivia as she still watching him, carefully.

"Look…from _their_ point of view, _you're_ the invaders. Your drill was threatening their settlement," he explained, looking around at them as he began pacing. "Now…the creature in the crypt. Her name's Alaya. She's one of their warriors, and she's my best bargaining chip. I need her alive. If she lives, so do Elliot and Mo and Amy. Because I _will_ find them."

He looked to each of them and when his gaze landed on Olivia she lowered her arms as he turned back to addressing the group.

"While I'm gone, you five people, in this church, in this corner of Planet Earth, you have to be the _best_ of humanity," he ordered, making Olivia frown at him.

Did he just say _five_?

"And what if they come back?" Tony questioned the Doctor, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Shouldn't we be examining this creature, dissecting it, finding its weak points?"

"I think the Doctor would agree with me when I say _no_ dissecting and _no_ examining," Olivia spoke up, making everyone look to her, and the Doctor nodded to her in agreement as she continued, "The deal is, we return _their_ hostage, they return _ours_ and _nobody_ gets harmed."

"We can land this together," the Doctor nodded, stepping up next to Olivia and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they both looked to the four. "_If_ you are the best you can be. You are decent, brilliant people. Nobody dies today. Understand?"

He looked to each face, seeing them all give silent approval then looked to Olivia who gave a nod. They all looked to Nasreen when she started clapping enthusiastically, but when no one clapped with her she slowed her clapping to examine her nails in embarrassment. Olivia couldn't help but giggle as the Doctor straightened his bow tie before planting a kiss to Olivia's temple.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," he nodded, lowering his arm from her shoulders and heading toward the door, but Olivia frowned at him before hurrying after him.

"Doctor, wait!"

"I know what you're gonna ask, but you can't come with me this time," he called, not stopping his march. "You need to stay here, Liv."

"Give me _one_ good reason why I should even _consider_ letting you do this on your own," she demanded as they reached the TARDIS and he turned to her with a smirk as she stopped in front of him.

"Easy enough," he shrugged, slightly. "Because you need to help them be the best of humanity, Liv. You are the _best_ of the best. They need that."

Olivia stared at him for a moment before sighing in defeat and stepping closer to him to press her lips to his.

"For luck," she whispered, stepping back to see Nasreen running toward them.

"No, sorry, no," the Doctor called to Nasreen as she stopped in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you, of course!" Nasreen replied, matter-of-factly as the Doctor frowned at her and she asked, "What is it? Some kind of…transport pod?"

"Sort of," he replied, looking to his right as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "But you're not coming with me."

"He's right," Tony panted as he ran up to them. "You're not."

"I have spent all my life excavating the layers of this planet and now you want me to stand back while you head down into it? I don't think so!" Nasreen retorted to the Doctor as he looked at his watch.

"I don't have time to argue!" the Doctor shot back and looked to Olivia. "Have you been giving her lessons?"

"I thought we were in a rush," Nasreen recalled.

"It'll be dangerous," the Doctor replied to her.

"Oh, so's crossing the road," she replied, casually.

"I'd feel better if you didn't go alone, since you're making me stay here," Olivia chimed in with a smirk.

"You're not _helping_!" he shot back at her.

"When do I _ever_ help in a situation like this?" she retorted.

"Oh, for goodness sake, alright, then! Come on!" the Doctor snapped before heading into the TARDIS. "Be back in a bit! Take care of the others, Liv!"

"I will!" she called and Nasreen said goodbye to Tony. When Nasreen headed inside Olivia looked to Tony and tapped his arm to nod back toward the church, saying, "Let's go inside. Your daughter probably needs her dad right about now."

Tony nodded as they both turned to head back toward the church, but Olivia stopped when she heard a rumble from behind her. She turned just in time to see the TARDIS get sucked into the ground and held back a gasp so as not to alarm Tony as he continued walking. She ran to the patch of dirt in the grass where the TARDIS had been sitting and felt her stomach turn in worry.

She pulled out her Sonic and scanned it before looking at the results and it had been the same thing she'd seen in the patch of Earth that took Amy. Sighing, she tucked her Sonic away and turned to head into the church, but when she stepped inside the room was empty. Realization dawned on her and she hurried back outside to head into the crypt where she found Rory, Ambrose and Tony at the bottom of the stairs staring at the Silurian.

"You _had_ to come and see me," Alaya smirked as Olivia gently pushed past Tony and Ambrose to stand next to Rory.

"We…are gonna keep you safe," Rory explained.

"Your tribe are gonna give us back our people in exchange for you," Ambrose explained, making Olivia turn to her with a glare. If it was one thing she'd learn from Torchwood _and_ the Doctor, it was _never_ give the game away to the enemy.

"No," Alaya replied, pulling on her chains as far as they'd let her as Olivia stepped a touch closer as well. "Shall I tell you what's _really_ going to happen, apes? One of your will kill me. My death shall ignite a war and every sticking ape shall be wiped from the surface of my beloved planet."

"We won't allow that to happen," Tony spoke up.

"I know apes better then you know yourselves," Alaya hissed. "I know which one of you will kill me. Do you?"

"Alright, that's enough of the mind games for now," Olivia snapped, looking over her shoulder at Rory. "Get those two back up into the church."

"What about you?" Rory asked, not taking his gaze off Alaya as Olivia turned to her as well.

"I'll be up there in a minute," she assured him as her gaze locked with Alaya's.

Rory nodded and ushered Tony and Ambrose back up to the church as Olivia turned fully to Alaya, saying, "My turn."

"Is this supposed to intimidate me?" Alaya sneered as Olivia stepped closer but remained out of reach. "Being alone with you?"

"No," Olivia replied, crossing her arms in front of her. "I don't expect _anything_ to intimidate you. I've met plenty of people like you. And when I say people, I mean human _and_ non-human."

"Prisoners?"

"Warriors," Olivia corrected, meeting Alaya's gaze, evenly. "You and I both know that _none_ of us knows who will _try_ to kill you. I say try because it's not going to happen, let's get that straight right now."

"And how do _you_ know that?"

"Because _I_ won't let it happen. You can play all the head games you want with me, they won't work. You're gonna stay alive, and we're gonna get you back to your tribe safe and sound when we get our people back."

"You say I will not be harmed, and yet you carry a weapon with you," Alaya sneered, making Olivia frown before she looked to the stun gun in her pants pocket, the handle of it revealed above the pocket.

"Well, since you seem to think you know who's going to kill you, you know that's not for you," Olivia shot back, meeting Alaya's gaze again. "I'll bring you food later."

"I need no food."

"Fine. Starve."

She turned to leave but was stopped at the bottom step.

"Your precious Doctor will be killed on sight," Alaya hissed. "If _I_ will not be the first blood of the war, _he will_."

Olivia gritted her teeth, unmoving as she dug her nails into her arm where they still sat across her chest.

"A war may be started then," she murmured, turning to meet Alaya's smug smirk, which fell when Olivia's eyes bored into hers as she continued, "But it won't be a war between your tribe and the humans here. It'll be a war between your tribe…and _me_."

"You?" Alaya scoffed. "What can _you_ do against _us_?"

"I told you," Olivia replied in a low tone. "You underestimate your enemies."

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia sat on the church steps outside, twirling her ring on her middle finger. She wanted to talk to him, but she knew she had to try to be patient. She hoped he was alright. She looked behind her when she caught the sound of shuffling and saw Rory stepping toward her, sitting to her right as she looked ahead again.

"You're worried?" he guessed and she only nodded, looking to her hands as she still twirled her ring on her finger. "I'm worried, too."

"Amy's probably giving 'em hell down there," Olivia scoffed, making Rory chuckle and nod in agreement.

"How do you do this every time?" Rory asked, making her turn a frown to him. "The waiting. The worrying. The danger. How is it so easy for you?"

"It's not," she replied, making him turn a frown to her. "You think this is easy? I have knots in my stomach and I can't guard Alaya because if I do I'm gonna punch her lights out or start a fight with her."

"But…you've got so much experience with this sort of thing," Rory recalled. "You worked for…what was it? Torchwood. Amy told me."

"And you think that's jaded me?" she wondered. "I may know how to handle these situations but I'm still freaking out inside. I've just gotten better at hiding it."

"_Very_ good," Rory smirked, making Olivia scoff and at the thought of Torchwood, she reached for her pocket to touch her Stun Gun…but it was gone. She frowned and looked around herself, feeling at her pockets, making Rory frown at her in wonder. "What's wrong?"

"My stun gun," she muttered. "It's gone. I don't understand! I had it when—!"

Rory's frown deepened when she stared ahead with wide eyes before turning them to Rory in realization.

"I had it when I told Ambrose to watch Alaya," she breathed. "She bumped into me when she passed me! Where is she?!"

They both shot to their feet and ran toward the crypt and when they reached the steps they both heard screaming. Tony staggered after them down the stairs, having heard the screams as well and when they reached the bottom of the steps they found Ambrose standing a few feet away from a gasping Alaya who lay on the floor…and Ambrose was holding Olivia's Stun Gun with both hands. Rory ran toward Alaya as Olivia marched toward Ambrose with a glare, snatching her Stun Gun from the woman.

"Ambrose…" Tony panted. "What have you done?"

"She kept taunting me about Mo and Elliot and you," Ambrose explained, desperately defensive.

"You have to be better than this!" Olivia growled, gripping Ambrose's jacket to shake her.

"She wouldn't tell me anything!" Ambrose cried, making Olivia stop and frown at her in confused anger. "I thought sooner or later she'd give in! _I_ would've done! I just…I just want my family back!"

Olivia gritted her teeth and shoved Ambrose away to let Tony approach her as she turned to head toward Rory as he knelt next to Alaya who was still gasping.

"I'm sorry," Rory said as Olivia knelt on the other side of Alaya. "How do we help you? Tell us what to do!"

"I knew this would come," Alaya gasped. "And soon the war."

"You're not dying," Olivia ground out. "This thing doesn't kill."

"I'm not gonna let you," Rory confirmed. "_Not_ today."

Alaya took one last gasp, making everyone stare at her with wide eyes before she fell limp, and Olivia looked to her Stun Gun before tossing it as far away as she could from herself. Rory stood and ran his hands through his hair in panic as she stood as well, still staring at the body.

"I didn't know it would go like that, dad," Ambrose shuddered, looking to Tony with tears streaming down her face as he looked to her as well.

"You didn't know?!" Olivia shot back, drawing all eyes to her as she glared at Ambrose. "_You_ lifted my Stun Gun right out of my pocket with an intent to use it, how could you not know it wouldn't do damage?!"

Olivia lunged for Ambrose who ran toward Tony with a shout of fright as Rory hurriedly grabbed Olivia's arms to pull her back. Tony held his daughter close to protect her as Olivia struggled against Rory to attack Ambrose but they all froze when the lights flickered and the sound of a signal trying to come in came from somewhere. They all turned to a computer screen sitting on a box, where an image looking almost identical to Alaya's face appeared.

"Oh, my god," Ambrose breathed.

"_Who is the ape leader?_" the Silurian questioned.

"It's them," Ambrose shuddered as Olivia shook Rory off of her to step toward the screen. "How are they doing that? How do they know that we're in here?"

Ambrose hurried toward the body of Alaya to cover it with a tarp as the image demanded again, "_Who speaks for the apes?_"

"I do," Olivia replied without hesitation, but was stopped from getting closer to the screen by a hand on her shoulder and she turned a glare up at Tony.

"Don't tell them what's happened," he requested in a low voice, making her stare at him incredulously before yanking her arm from his light grip to march toward the screen.

"Rory, come on," Olivia called to him and he followed her to stand in front of the screen next to her. "We speak for the _humans_."

"_Do you understand who are?_" the Silurian questioned.

"Sort of," Rory replied. "A bit. Not really."

"_I_ do," Olivia added. "Better than these three here."

"_We have ape hostages_," the Silurian sneered, and the screen moved to a wider view, showing the Doctor, Nasreen, Amy and Mo tied around two columns on either side of the Silurian. Obviously being held hostage.

"Doctor!" Olivia called, a smile instantly appearing on her face as she leaned on the table, Rory next to her.

"Amy!" Rory called in relief as well.

"Mo!" Ambrose called, as she and Tony hurried to get a better view of the screen as well, all four of them huddling over the screen. "Mo, are you ok?"

"_I'm fine love!_" Mo called. "_I've found Elliot. I'm bringing him home!_"

"Amy, I thought I'd lost you!" Rory called as Ambrose began crying.

"_What, 'cause I was sucked into the ground?_" Amy shot back. "_You're so clingy._"

"_Tony Mack!_" Nasreen called for attention.

"Having fun down there?" Tony smirked.

Olivia said nothing to the Doctor, knowing better than to reveal their relationship so easily in front of anyone. And she knew he wasn't safe until he was back in her arms, and she was back in his.

"_Uh, not to interrupt, but just a quick reminder to stay calm_," the Doctor called.

"_Show me Alaya_," the Silurian ordered, making them all lean back slightly and Olivia knew she should tell them, but she couldn't risk them harming Amy and the Doctor in retaliation. "_Show me and release her, immediately, unharmed or we kill your friends one by one._"

"No!" Ambrose called, leaning closer to the screen.

"Ambrose…" Rory called in warning as Olivia swallowed, touching her ring with her thumb.

"_Steady now everyone_," the Doctor called, calmly.

"Ambrose, stop it!" Tony snapped, trying to pull her back.

"Get off me, dad!" Ambrose snapped back, shoving him off of her. "We didn't start this!"

"_Let Olivia deal with this, Ambrose, eh?_" the Doctor called.

_Doctor?_ Olivia called for him, reaching for their bond which was faint, at best.

_Liv, what's going on?_ he questioned.

_Something's happened_, she replied.

"We are not doing what you say anymore," Ambrose told the Silurian in the screen. "Now give me back my family!"

_What's happened, Olivia?_

She remained silent as they all waited for the Silurian's response.

_Olivia? Restac isn't happy. What's __wrong__? Where's Alaya?_

"_No_," Restac replied to Ambrose before ordering, "_Execute the girl!_"

"No!" Rory shouted as Tony pulled Ambrose away and Amy called for Rory but Olivia leaned over the screen.

"Wait!" she shouted. "_She_ doesn't speak for us! I do! Talk to _me_!"

Panic ensued as Rory shouted for Amy when one of the soldiers shoved her between the columns, another aiming their weapon at her, but just as Amy closed her eyes, not wanting to see her death, the screen fell to static.

"_No_!" Rory shouted as he tapped the screen, trying to get it back as Olivia turned to Ambrose.

"You just keep making it worse and worse, and you don't think to stay _out of the way_?!" Olivia snarled at Ambrose, marching toward her to stare her down, but Tony shoved on Olivia's shoulder to back her away.

"She's only doing what she can to get our family back!" he snapped.

"She's gonna have to take responsibility for her actions like the rest of us, Tony, and _you_ know it!" Olivia snapped. "You can't protect her forever!"

"_Rory! Liv! Hello!_" the Doctor called from the static, making them all turn to the screen again.

"Where's Amy?!" Rory questioned as the screen became alight with an image of the Doctor.

"_She's fine! Look!_" the Doctor called, gesturing to Amy, unbound, along with Mo and Nasreen.

"Oh, thank god," Rory sighed in relief.

"_Keeping you on your toes!_" Amy called in a singsong tone.

"_No time to chat_," the Doctor warned. "_Let me talk to Olivia. Liv?!_"

"I'm here!" Olivia called, leaning next to the screen as Rory stepped back.

"_Listen, you need to get down here_," he ordered. "_Go to the drill storeroom where the large patch of Earth is. The Silurians are gonna send up transport discs to bring you back down using—_"

"Geothermal energy and gravity bubble technology. Got it," Olivia nodded, then frowned when the Doctor smirked. "What?"

"_Love it when you talk science, dear_," he smirked, making her roll her eyes, but smirk in return. "_Anyway, bring Alaya. We hand her over, we can land this after all. All gonna work, promise_."

Olivia chewed on her lower lip before blurting, "But…Doctor—"

"_Gotta dash! Hurry up!_" he interrupted before the screen went to static again and she sighed, bowing her head in exasperation.

"The moment we get down there, everything will fall apart!" Tony predicted.

"We have to return her," Rory told them, making Ambrose and Tony look to him as Olivia still faced the screen, unmoving. "They deserve at least that."

"He's right," Olivia sighed, finally turning to the three then resting a hand on Rory's shoulder. "We should at least show some respect."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	29. A Peace to Be Brokered

**A/N:** long time, again...i know! new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 29: A Peace to Be Brokered**_

Olivia never thought of herself as a nervous tick sort of person. Habitual ticks? Sure, she had a few of those, like the way she bit her lower lip when she was concentrating or balled her fists when she was angry. But she never did much when she was nervous. Now, as she watched Tony rest the body of Alaya next to the long patch of Earth with discs set up for the five of them to be sent below the surface, she found herself _nervously_ twirling the ring with the psychic speck in it. And she realized it was her new-found nervous tick.

"So we get on those and they take us down through the Earth?" Tony guessed.

"Geothermal gravity bubbles…or something," Rory nodded.

"Geothermal energy using gravity bubble technology," Olivia corrected, still twirling her ring as she stared at the discs as Ambrose was also.

"They sent five," Ambrose pointed out, still staring at the discs then sighed, "She was our only bargaining chip."

"We have to hand her back," Rory told her and was about to step onto one of the discs, Olivia doing the same.

"Wait!" Ambrose called, stopping them and making the three look to her. "Before we go down, there's something I've gotta do. Dad, I need your help."

Ambrose hurried from the room with Tony following after her, making Rory and Olivia turn frowns to each other before Olivia looked to the two hurrying from the room.

"Ambrose?" Olivia called and stepped around the discs to head after her. "Tony? What are you doing?!"

"Olivia wait!" Rory called, reaching out to grip her wrist and pull her back toward him, making her glare at him, but he only held her gaze. "It might be a…father daughter thing. We shouldn't interrupt."

"I didn't like the look in her eye, Rory," she explained as he let her wrist go when she showed no sign of heading after them. "It's the same look _I_ get just before I do something stupid."

* * *

_Below the Surface..._

Olivia led the group through the tunnels, wanting to indulge her curiosity and examine everything, but she was far too nervous to think of anything else but the Doctor's reaction to what had happened. Not only that, but his reaction to _how_ it happened. It was her fault. She knew it. Ambrose used _her_ Stun Gun, which the Doctor had told her to put back in the TARDIS…which she hadn't.

"Here they are."

She jumped when she passed an open door, hearing the Doctor's voice. She looked to her left to see the Doctor wave to her with a smile, a Silurian in official-looking robes standing next to him. She noted there were others there, but all she saw was the Doctor as she turned and hurried into the room, Rory, Ambrose and Tony carrying Alaya following behind her.

"Mum!" Elliot called as he ran away from Mo and toward Ambrose, passing Olivia completely who only rushed toward the Doctor.

"Rory!" Amy greeted as Elliot hugged his mother and Olivia felt her heart thump in her chest as she noted the smile fall from the Doctor's face.

He knew something was wrong.

"Something's wrong," he murmured as she stopped in front of him and their gazes met. "Olivia, what's happened?"

She swallowed as he looked up to see Tony carrying Alaya wrapped in an orange blanket and she felt tears prick her eyes as she looked to her feet in shame.

"Doctor, what's he carrying?" Amy asked, standing next to him.

Olivia gasped when the Doctor gripped her arms to make her meet his glare with wide eyes.

"Olivia Felton, you tell me what's happened _right now_," he ground out.

She opened her mouth to respond but her voice failed her, the lump in her throat blocking her words. She bowed her head again when his hands fell from her arms and he headed toward Tony as he lowered himself to rest Alaya on the floor.

"No," the Doctor murmured. "Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this!"

He knelt down with a sigh and pulled the blanket away from the face to look at Alaya before settling it back over her and turning a glare to Tony who bowed his head, unable to meet the Doctor's anger.

"What did you do?" the Doctor demanded.

"It was me," Ambrose called, making the Doctor and Olivia look to her, but Olivia frowned in wonder. She sounded _far_ more confident than she had when it happened. "_I_ did it."

"Mum?" Elliot frowned at Ambrose.

"I just wanted you back," she explained, but Elliot pulled away from her when she reached for him.

All eyes went to her as she looked around at them all, but after a moment, the Doctor turned to Olivia who had remained in her spot the entire time and he marched toward her, looming over her as she met his glare as steadily as she could.

"What happened?" he ground out, making her swallow, hard.

"She stole my Stun Gun," she whispered, turning her gaze to her hands as she twirled her ring on her finger again. "I didn't notice it was gone until it was too late, and I didn't think…it would kill her. It's my fault, Theta. I'm…I'm sorry."

He glared down at her for a moment longer before marching past her and she lifted her hands to her face to hide her shame and her tears as he stepped toward the Silurian, Eldane.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor desperately tried. "I didn't know. You _have_ to believe me, they're better than this."

"This is _our_ planet!" Ambrose shouted.

"We had a _chance_, Ambrose. Shut up!" Olivia shot back, throwing her hands down from her face.

"Leave us alone!" Ambrose continued, and Olivia was about to tell her off again but stopped short when she saw the Doctor marching toward the woman.

"In the future, when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance but you were so much _less_ than the best of humanity!"

The sound of marching made everyone turn their attention to the doors and they soon found themselves surrounded by masked Silurians, Restac marching through the main entrance. Her march slowed when she caught sight of the blanket and when she knelt down next to it, she lifted the corner to see Alaya's dead face. She gave a pitiful cry, making Olivia swallow again as everyone kept their eyes on her.

"And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?" she hissed, looking up at him.

"One woman," he tried to reason. "She was scared for her family. She's not typical."

"I think she _is_," Restac snapped, standing and turning to Ambrose and making Olivia stiffen as she glanced between her and Ambrose.

"One person let us down," the Doctor still tried. "But there is a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there. You were _building_ something here! Come on! An alliance _could_ work!"

"It's too late for that, Doctor," Ambrose warned, making all eyes turn to her and Olivia frown at her before she looked to Tony with wide eyes.

"Why?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

"What did you do?" Olivia breathed, making Tony look to her in shame.

"Our drill is set to start burrowing again in…fifteen minutes," Ambrose replied, looking to a stop watch in her hands.

"What?!" Nasreen snapped, looking to Tony.

"What choice did I have?" Tony asked Olivia and Nasreen. "They had _Elliot_."

"Don't do this," the Doctor pleaded. "Don't call their bluff."

"Let us go back," Ambrose begged Restac. "And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone."

"Execute her!" Restac shouted.

Olivia instantly reacted, running toward Ambrose and pulling her out of the way just as one of the Silurians shot at her. She pulled her behind a column as the Doctor ran after the two, making sure they were both out of range of the weapons.

"Everybody, back to the lab! Run!" he shouted before looking to Olivia as they all obeyed and ran for the doors. "Follow my lead."

She nodded and pulled her Sonic from her jacket as he did, stepping to the center of the room, side by side.

"Execute all the apes!" Rastec shouted, but Olivia and the Doctor raised their Sonic Screwdrivers , activating them and making the Silurian weapons spark like mad.

"These are deadly weapons!" the Doctor shouted, pulling Olivia with him by the hand to hurry out of the room. "Stay back!"

"Doctor! This way!" Olivia called, pulling him toward the exit where everyone was running out of and into the tunnels of the city.

"Liv! Look out!" he shouted, pulling his arm from her grip to grip her wrist in turn and pull her out of the way of a Silurian snapping its tongue at her in an attempt to sting her. She screamed when she saw the tip of the tongue snap back then grunted when her back hit the wall of the exit, the Doctor pinning her to it. "Be careful, dear."

"Theta, I—"

"Later," he cut in, gripping her hand. "It's time to run now."

Olivia said nothing else as he dragged her after him by the hand, launching into a full run down the tunnel after the group.

"Take everyone to the lab!" the Doctor ordered Olivia as they all ran in that direction, sparks flying as they were still being shot at. The Doctor stopped, Olivia right behind him, frowning at him as she watched him pull his Sonic out again, saying, "I'll cover you!"

Olivia turned and ushered Mo and the others on, following them and shouting, "Go! Go!"

She watched the group run down the hall before turning back and running after the Doctor to see him holding his Sonic up threateningly at Restac and a few of her soldiers.

"Stop right there or I'll use my very deadly weapon again!" he warned as Olivia fingered her own Sonic. "One warning, that's all you get. If there can be no deal you go back into hibernation. All of you. _Now_! This ends _here_."

"_No_!" Restac shouted. "It only ends with our victory!"

"Like I said…" he warned again, "…one warning."

One of her soldiers jumped when her weapon sparked and the Doctor frowned before glancing over his shoulder at Olivia pointing her Sonic at the group.

"Olivia! What are you doing?!" he shouted, turning and running toward her, Restac and her soldiers charging behind him and he grabbed her hand to drag her into the lab, using his Sonic to lock the door then looked to Olivia. "I told you—!"

"I'm not leaving your side again, Doctor," she murmured and to avoid an argument she asked, "What do we do now?"

He opened his mouth to argue with her but he closed his mouth to frown at her before looking to Elliot, Ambrose and Mo.

"Elliot," he began, pulling Olivia behind him down the stairs as he continued, "you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen. Let me know if we get company."

Mo and Elliot ran to the far side of the lab toward a computer screen as the Doctor grabbed the stopwatch from Ambrose to toss it to Amy.

"Amy, keep reminding me how much time we haven't got," he ordered as she caught the watch to look at it.

"Twelve and a half minutes till drill impact," Amy announced as the Doctor pulled Olivia toward Tony and Nasreen.

"Tony Mack," he called, stopping in front of the exhausted man. "Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils, what're you hiding?"

Tony unbuttoned and parted his shirt to reveal something green running through his bulging veins on his chest.

"Tony," Nasreen breathed as Olivia gasped, her eyes widening. "What happened?"

"Alaya's sting," he replied as the Doctor used his Sonic on him. "She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't I?"

The Doctor whirled toward one of the computers next to him as he replied, "You're not dying. You're _mutating_."

"How can I stop it?" Tony questioned as Olivia stepped next to the Doctor to watch him aim his Sonic at one of the screens where an image of a DNA chain was showing.

"Decontamination program," the Doctor suggested, looking back to Tony. "Might work, don't know." He tucked his Sonic away and looked to Eldane, asking, "Can you run the program on Tony?"

"Doctor!" Mo called in a panic. "Shedload of those creatures coming our way! We're surrounded in here!"

"So," the Doctor chirped, "question is, how do we stop the drill, given that we can't get there in time? Plus, also, how do we get out, given that we're surrounded? Nasreen how do you feel about an energy pulse channeled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?"

"To _blow up_ my life's work?" she realized in disbelief.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, apologetically. "Sorry. No nice way of putting that."

Nasreen frowned before sounding resigned as she nodded, "Right, well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city."

"Which will be in…?" Olivia trailed off, looking to Amy as Rory stood next to her.

"Eleven minutes, forty seconds," she replied, hopelessly as the Doctor ran toward one of the computers.

"Yes," he grinned, chuckling, "Squeaky bum time!"

"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels, so we have to be out and on the surface then," Nasreen explained.

"But we can't get past Restac's troops," Rory reminded them.

"I can help with that," Eldane called from the decontamination chamber where Tony was strapped to an upright chair and all eyes shot to him. "Toxic fumigation. An emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation, by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."

"You could end up killing your own people," Olivia breathed, stepping up next to Eldane and looking to him with wide eyes.

"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac," he assured her.

"Eldane, are you sure about this?" the Doctor asked, needing to be sure.

"My priority is my race's survival," Eldane explained. "The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet."

"Ten minutes, Doctor," Amy reported.

"No," the Doctor agreed with Eldane. "But maybe it should be. So here's a deal. Everybody _listening_. Eldane, you activate shutdown. I'll amend the systems, set your alarm for one thousand years time. _One thousand years_ to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on as legend, or prophecy, or religion, but somehow make it known. This planet is to be shared."

"Yeah," Elliot nodded when the Doctor looked to him. "I get you."

"Nine minutes, seven seconds," Amy reported as he smiled at Elliot.

"Liv! With me!" the Doctor called, running around to the console Eldane was working on as Olivia sailed up next to him and he grinned, "Yes, fluid controls, my favorite! Liv, energy pulse."

"Timed, primed and set," she announced, instantly working on the panel.

"Before we go, Liv, energy barricade, need to cancel it out quickly," he told her. "Use the Sonic if you need to."

"Got it," Olivia nodded and did as she was told, pointing her Sonic at one of the screens. "Done."

"Fumigation pre-launching," Eldane announced.

"There's not _much_ time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor," Rory explained.

"Ah ha!" the Doctor grinned, he and Olivia still working. "_Super_ squeaky bum time! Get ready to run for your lives!"

"But the decontamination program on your friend hasn't started yet," Eldane told the Doctor and all eyes turned to Tony as he stood from the upright chair.

"Well, go!" Tony called, making everyone stare at him in disbelief. "All of you! Go!"

"No, we're not leaving you here!" Ambrose argued as Elliot ran toward his grandfather to hug him.

"Eight minutes, ten seconds," Amy announced as they watched Tony say good bye to his family and when he hugged Ambrose, Olivia couldn't hold back the tears that flooded her eyes. The Doctor looked to her, noticing her tears but said nothing before looking to Eldane with a nod.

A moment later the lights dimmed then flashed as the voice from the PA announced, "Toxic fumigation initiated. Return to cryo-chambers."

"They're going!" Amy announced as she looked at the screen with a view outside the door. "We're clear!"

"Ok. Everyone follow Olivia," the Doctor called, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her toward the door of the lab, pointing his Sonic Screwdriver at the control panel for the door. "Look for a blue box! Get ready to run!"

The group remained in front of the door as he opened it with the Sonic then stepped toward Eldane, pulling Olivia with him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured to Eldane.

"I thought for a moment, our race, and the humans…" Eldane replied before trailing off.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded slightly. "Me too."

"Doctor, we've got less than six minutes!" Amy urged.

"Go!" he replied, letting go of Olivia's hand to shove her by the shoulder toward the group and she looked to him with wide eyes. "Go! I'm right behind you!"

"But—!"

"Go on, Liv!" he ordered again, making her bite her lip before turning to head after the group as they ran down the hall.

Olivia and Amy brought up the rear of the group and just before they all turned a corner, both girls stopped, looking behind them to see that the Doctor wasn't following. Olivia gave a growl and ran back toward the lab, Amy right beside her and they both found the Doctor speaking with Nasreen.

"Doctor!" they both shouted, making him look over his shoulder at them with a frown of wonder at their shouts in unison before looking back to Nasreen.

"Thank you, Doctor," Nasreen nodded.

"The pleasure was all mine," he replied before giving her a tight hug then turned to head out the door, grabbing Olivia's hand on the way and Amy running after them.

"Come and look for us," Nasreen called, making Olivia frown over her shoulder at her but she realized she was staying as well and said nothing.

"Immediate evacuation," the PA called as Rory came barreling toward them, looking for Amy. "Toxic fumigation is about to commence."

"Other way, idiot!" Amy called as they passed each other and Rory quickly turned to run after the three.

They met with Ambrose, Elliot and Mo on a long bridge and the Doctor flew by them with Olivia in tow until they reached a huge room where the TARDIS sat.

"No questions, just get in!" the Doctor called as they reached the door and he pulled the key out to unlock and open the door. "And yes, I know it's big! Ambrose, sickbay up the stairs, left, then left again…get yourself fixed up. Come on, five minutes and counting!"

"Theta," Olivia breathed, making him frown at her as Ambrose, Mo and Elliot headed into the TARDIS, Amy and Rory catching up with them and standing with the couple. She was staring at the wall facing the TARDIS where a light was shining, and when he turned, his eyes widened in disbelief, Amy and Rory looking to the wall as well…where a familiar crack was shining brightly.

"Not here," he breathed. "Not now."

"It's getting wider," Olivia observed in a breath as well.

"The crack on my bedroom wall," Amy realized.

"And the _Byzantium_," the Doctor added, stepping closer to the crack, Olivia reaching out to grip his hand and pull him back but he stepped out of reach. "All through the universe rips in the continuum. Some sort of space-time cataclysm…an explosion, maybe. Big enough to put cracks in the universe. But what?"

"Four minutes, fifty," Amy reported, looking to the stopwatch. "We have to go!"

"The Angels laughed when I didn't know," the Doctor continued, ignoring her. "Prisoner Zero knew. _Everybody_ knows, except _me_!"

"Don't act like a child! Just leave it!" Olivia snapped, heading toward him to take his arm in both hands and pull him toward her, but he yanked his arm from her grasp to reach into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Doctor!"

"But where there's an explosion…there's shrapnel," he grinned, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and hurrying closer to the crack.

"Doctor, you _can't_ put your hand in there!" Rory ordered.

"Why not?" he shrugged.

"Doctor, don't you dare! You get away from that—_Don't_!" Olivia screamed as he reached in and her hands flew to her mouth with a gasp, her eyes shooting wide when he started shouting in uncertain pain.

"I've got something!" he called.

"What is it?" Amy asked before Olivia gasped again when the Doctor shoved himself from the crack, clutching the wrapped object in his hand.

"I don't know," he replied in awe as Olivia ran to help him up.

"God, you're such an idiot," she muttered as he struggled to his feet.

"Doctor!" Rory called in warning, making them all turn to see Restac gasping and struggling toward them on her stomach, a weapon in her hand.

"She was there when the gas started," Amy realized. "She must have been poisoned."

"Ok, get in the TARDIS, all of you," the Doctor ordered in a low voice, keeping his gaze on Restac as she struggled to lift her weapon and Olivia instantly ran toward the TARDIS door.

"You did this!" Restac hissed as the Doctor reached into his jacket for the Sonic.

"Doctor!" Rory shouted, rushing toward him and shoving him out of the way just as Restac lifted her weapon and fired…hitting Rory in the chest.

"_Rory_!" Amy screamed and ran to him as he fell onto his back, shouting in pain and the Doctor and Olivia rushed toward him as well, hovering over him as Restac fell to the ground…dead.

"Rory, can you hear me?!" the Doctor called, running the Sonic over him and Rory brought his breathing under control, looking around in bewilderment and pain.

"I don't understand," he murmured before looking to Amy as she stroked his face. "We were on the hill. I can't die here."

"Don't say that," Amy pleaded through a whisper, tears flooding her eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed before cringing in pain, closing his eyes and saying, "I'm sorry."

Rory's head fell to one side as he let out a breath…his last breath and Amy's head shook in disbelief, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"Doctor, help him," she pleaded and Olivia looked to the crack, gripping the Doctor's arm to get his attention. Tendrils of light were moving from the crack toward Rory's feet, making the Doctor stand and pull Olivia as far away from it as he could.

"Amy, move away from the light," he ordered. "If it touches you you'll be wiped from history."

"Amy, come on," Olivia called as they stepped toward the TARDIS door.

"No!" Amy shot back, screaming, "I am not leaving him! We have to help him!"

"Get the door," the Doctor told Olivia and she stepped toward the door to open it as he bent down to wrap his arms around Amy, explaining, "The light's already around him, we can't help him."

"I am not leaving him!" Amy screamed through her tears.

"We have to," he urged, pulling her away as she screamed to be let go. "Sorry."

The Doctor pulled her toward the door and into the TARDIS as Olivia shut the door behind them and stood in front of it to keep Amy from getting out when she rushed toward it as the Doctor let her go. Olivia threw her arms around Amy, pinning her arms to her sides as she struggled, but Olivia only held her close as the Doctor headed toward the console.

"Please let me out!" Amy sobbed as Olivia held her. "I need to get to Rory!"

"I'm sorry, Amy," Olivia whispered, tears coming to her eyes as well as Amy slowed her struggle and stood limply in her arms, her head on her shoulder as she still sobbed. "I'm really, _really_ sorry."

Olivia looked up to the porthole screen as Amy calmed her sobs then turned to it as well, marching toward it and out of Olivia's hold. The image on the screen showed Rory's body outside being enveloped by the tendrils of light coming from the crack.

"That light," Amy noticed, standing in front of the screen, Olivia hurrying up to the console. "If his body's absorbed I'll forget him. He'll never have existed." She turned to the Doctor shuddering, "You can't let that happen."

Olivia looked to the Doctor as she stepped next to him, her heart clenching as tears came to her eyes when he looked back at, because she knew he couldn't do anything to help Rory. She swallowed when the Doctor grabbed the lever in front of him on the console and cranked it to lift the TARDIS off.

"What are you _doing_?!" Amy shouted, running up the stairs and toward the console to stop him. "Doctor! _No_!"

"Amy! Stop!" Olivia called just as Amy tried to push the Doctor away from the console and they both wrestled to get her away from it while she screamed that they couldn't leave Rory.

"Keep him in your mind," the Doctor ordered her when he turned her from the console and turned her to face him. "Don't forget him. If you forget him you'll lose him forever."

"But on the _Byzantium_ you said I still remembered the clerics because I am a time traveler now! _You_ _said_!" Amy sobbed.

"They weren't a part of _your_ world," he explained desperately. "This is different. This is your own history changing."

"Tell me it's gonna be ok! You have to make it ok!"

"It's gonna be hard, but you can do it, Amy!"

"Tell us about Rory," Olivia urged, taking Amy's hand and the Doctor wrapped his arm around her shoulders so they could both lead her toward the jump seat on the other side of the console to sit her down, both kneeling in front of her as she sat. "Fantastic Rory, funny Rory, _gorgeous_ Rory."

"Amy, listen to me," the Doctor urged. "Do exactly as I say. Amy, please, keep concentrating. You _can_ do this."

"I can't," she breathed, now in shock as she looked to him.

"Yes, you can," Olivia urged, gently. "Amy, you _can_ do it."

"I can't help you unless you do," the Doctor explained. "Come on. We can still save his memory. Don't let _anything_ distract you. Remember Rory. _Keep_ remembering. Rory is only alive in your _memory_. You _must_ keep hold of him. Don't let _anything_ distract you. Rory still lives _in_ _your_ _mind_."

The TARDIS shuddered violently as it landed, sending them all to the floor, Amy off her chair, Olivia onto her rear at the Doctor's feet and the Doctor sprawled out on his stomach nearly under the console…staring at a red velvet box sitting in front of him.

"What were you saying?" Amy asked the Doctor, making him sit up and look to her in evaluation as Olivia glanced between the two, confused by Amy's sudden calm as well as the ginger looked to the stairs leading up into the hall.

"I have seen some things today, but this is _beyond_ mad," Mo announced, coming down the stairs with Elliot and Ambrose right behind him as Amy looked to the stopwatch she still held.

"Doctor, five seconds till it all goes up!" Amy announced, making the Doctor shoot to his feet as she did and he grabbed Olivia's hand to drag her toward the door, everyone else following.

They all barreled out of the door of the TARDIS just in time to see the drill blow and they watched it go up in smoke for a moment before Olivia looked to the Doctor as he still held her hand. He looked down at her and he could read the question in her eyes before she even voiced it, making him pull his arm up to wrap it around her shoulders, pulling her close to press a kiss to her temple.

"We'll talk later," he assured her in a whisper.

* * *

**A/N:** OH MY GOD! writing Rory's death was so heartwrenching an cruel for me! made me cry! reviews?


	30. A Face in a Window Painting

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 30: A Face in a Window Painting**_

Olivia sighed as she leaned back against the arch of the entrance to the church, waiting for the Doctor as he sorted a few things inside. She straightened when she heard footsteps crunching grass heading toward her and looked ahead to see Ambrose coming closer to lean on the other side of the arch. They sat in silence for a moment before Ambrose broke the silence.

"You could've let those things shoot me," she observed, referring to what had happened when Rastec attacked. "After all I did…you _saved_ me."

Olivia nodded, chewing on her lower lip in thought then gave a shrug as she replied, "An eye for an eye is never the way. The Doctor's shown me that time and time again, and…I've already let him down enough. If I let anything happen to you without trying to stop it, it just would've made everything worse for everyone. Sure, you made some big mistakes, could've gotten us all killed, but that doesn't mean you deserved to be killed by the Silurians."

"You're a better person than me, then," Ambrose murmured.

"No, I'm not," Olivia replied, shooting Ambrose's gaze to hers as she shook her head. "I'm only human. We _both_ are. And now you can show your son how wrong you were. How there's another way. Make him the best of humanity in the way you couldn't be. In the way _we_ couldn't be."

"Right! Let's go, Liv!" the Doctor called, hurrying out of the church and grabbing her hand on the way.

Olivia turned to wave over her shoulder at Ambrose before quickening her pace to match the Doctor's. They walked in silence for a moment before she finally spoke up.

"Theta…Amy doesn't remember Rory," she observed.

"I know," he replied, not looking at her as they still headed to the TARDIS.

"What will you do?" she wondered, and when they rounded a corner of the church to see Amy saying good bye to Mo and Elliot.

"I don't know," he murmured as Amy turned to head toward them, and the three were silent as they headed up the hill toward the TARDIS.

"You two're very quiet," Amy noticed as they reached the TARDIS and when she looked to a faraway hill she grinned, "Look! There I am again! Hello, me!"

Olivia watched the girl on the hill wave, feeling her heart clench as she recalled that Rory should have been there as well, then looked to Amy, frowning in wonder when she noticed her grin fall slowly.

"Are you ok, Amy?" Olivia asked.

"I thought I saw someone else there for a second," Amy replied, not looking to the other girl for a moment before turning to the Doctor grinning, "I need a holiday! Didn't we talk about Rio?"

"Liv, Amy, you go in," he urged, moving to unlock the door. "I'll be inside in a moment. Just have to fix this lock. It keeps jamming."

Olivia frowned at him in wonder as the door opened and Amy stepped inside but Olivia remained frowning at the Doctor.

"Theta, are you ok?" she hoped and he only nodded before waving her inside and she pursed her lips in irritation at being dismissed. She headed up the stairs to head toward the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons to get ready to leave as Amy sat on the stairs heading deeper into the TARDIS.

"So, where we going?" Amy smiled, standing again to head toward Olivia, sailing up next to her to watch her.

"Not sure yet," Olivia replied, unenthusiastically and not looking at Amy. "We'll find out once the Doctor is in."

"The Doctor is in," he called from the door, making her frown and look to him just as Amy grinned up at him as well. Olivia watched him start the TARDIS and knew something was wrong but said nothing as he called, "Right! Rio!"

Olivia and the Doctor moved in sync as they piloted the TARDIS, but as Olivia focused on one panel, she suddenly pulled her hands up and away when she noticed him switch on the autopilot. She looked around the control room, noticing Amy was gone and the Doctor was strolling toward her around the console.

"Amy's cleaning herself up," he explained, stopping next to her as she turned to face him and she decided to take advantage of their time alone.

"Theta, I'm sorry," she breathed, making him frown at her in wonder. "I should've listened to you and gotten rid of the Stun Gun when you told me to, but I forgot. It was _my_ fault Alaya died—"

"Don't you dare say that, Liv," he cut in, making her eyes meet his in disbelief. "Ambrose acted on her own. I know that. It wasn't your fault. Yes, you should've gotten rid of that ridiculous thing earlier but it's too late for that now. It's _not_ your fault."

Olivia swallowed before nodding and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her to pull her close, seeing the tears coming to her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his chest, under his jacket to pull him close in turn, burying her face into his chest.

"Was that why you were tearing up back in the lab?" he wondered, making her give a frown before they pulled away enough to look into each other's eyes. "I saw it when Tony was saying goodbye."

Her eyes flooded with more tears as she looked away from his gaze to his bowtie, lifting a hand to pinch at the knot, distractedly.

"I never told you…about my dad, did I?" she whispered, almost so low he couldn't hear her.

"No," he replied. "You never really talk about your father. Then again…I never really ask about him."

"It's…sort of a touchy subject for me anyway," she sighed, lowering her hand to flatten it out on his chest, feeling one of his hearts beat under her touch. "Kind of like you and Gallifrey. Bitter sweet memories."

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "You don't have to—"

"It's ok," she cut in, finally looking at him again with a weak smile. "You should know. It's my dad."

Olivia took one of his hands and turned to head toward the stairs leading into the hall. She went up a few steps before stopping and turning to sit on one of them, pulling on the Doctor's hand to sit him next to her.

"I was twelve," she began, holding his hand in both of hers in her lap and gazing down at his hand as she played with his fingers. "My dad was in a…special ops…sort of…thing."

"He was a spy?" the Doctor guessed with a smirk, making Olivia give another small smile as she looked up at him.

"Yeah…he was a spy," she nodded, slightly. "I didn't know until I was sixteen. Mom told me. That's why…I couldn't understand at the time why he was leaving. I didn't realize he was leaving to protect us. He told mom and I that he was leaving and wasn't sure when he'd be back. The day he left…he hugged me so tightly I couldn't breathe and mom was crying. I was confused, but with mom crying and dad hugging me like that, I started to think that maybe I'd never see him again. And I never did. He never came back."

The Doctor pulled his hand from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders to pull her close so she could rest her head on his shoulder. When she gave a sniffle he rubbed her arm under his hand and kissed the top of her head.

"Watching Tony say goodbye to Ambrose and Elliot just brought it all back for a moment," she murmured. "But I knew we had to get out of there so I…I held back as much as I could."

"I know," he murmured, still holding her close. "I noticed. You were brilliant in there, by the way, love."

"Thanks," she smiled with a sniffle before shifting her head on his shoulder to meet his gaze as he smiled down at her in return. "What are we gonna do about Amy?"

The Doctor sighed through his nose before taking one of her hands in his free hand to lift it to his face and kiss it, gently.

"We are going to be _very_ nice to her," he explained. "We won't mention Rory, and we'll just go on as if nothing has happened. Just another adventure."

"As if nothing has happened?" Olivia frowned in disbelief as he stood and headed toward the console and she watched him before standing to follow him. "You can't be serious! Rory's dead and you just wanna…_forget_ him?!"

"I'm not forgetting him," he replied, operating the console. "We won't forget him, but Rory would've wanted us to take care of Amy, and _that's_ what we're going to do. We're going to be nice, and take care of her, and maybe…_maybe_ she'll remember him. _Maybe_ Impossible Amy will remember Fantastic Rory, and then everything will be perfect."

Olivia chewed on her lower lip before nodding in understanding, hearing his tone. He was just as worried as she was about Amy. She said nothing else as she stepped up to the console to help him fly, and when she came up next to him, something occurred to her.

"What did you pull out of the Crack?" she asked, making his hands falter on the controls before he continued, not meeting her gaze.

"Nothing," he muttered, still looking at the console and making Olivia give him an unamused stare.

"Nothing usually means _something_ when it comes out of _your_ mouth," she retorted, marching around the console to stop next to him, but he still didn't look at her. "What was it, Theta?"

"Nothing for you to worry about right now, Olivia, please," he replied, making her frown at him in wonder. "Don't ask me what's wrong, just go get Amy and tell her we've almost reached Rio."

She gave a small sigh and nodded, but before she turned to head up the stairs, she stepped closer to the Doctor and pressed a kiss to his cheek, making him finally look to her and give a small smile.

"I love you," she whispered, making him frown when he saw her eyes glass over with tears. "If I lost you…_I'd_ be lost."

"I love you, too, Liv," he murmured, lifting a hand to her cheek to brush away a tear with his thumb. "You won't lose me. I won't let that happen."

"You say that, but how can you know?" she whispered, lifting her hand to his to grasp it, keeping it against her cheek for her comfort as he smiled, sweetly.

"Because you're my girl," he replied. "I can't leave my girl on her own, now, can I? What kind of boyfriend would I be if I did that? Now, go get Amy."

* * *

_Some Time Later..._

The Doctor held tightly to Olivia's hand as they and Amy strolled through the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, following a group being toured around the exhibit with a tour guide.

"So, this is one of the last paintings Van Gogh ever painted," the tour guide in glasses and a bowtie explained. "Those final months of his life were probably the most astonishing artistic outpouring in history. It was like Shakespeare knocking off _Othello_, _Macbeth_ and _King Lear_ over the Summer Hols. And especially astonishing because Van Gogh did it with no hope of praise or reward."

"Why do people pronounce his name like that?" Olivia wondered, making the Doctor frown down at her as the guide continued. "It sounds like he's trying to hack a loogie."

"Oh, Liv!" he scolded, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the image. "That's the proper way to pronounce it."

"But it sounds weird," she whispered before giving him a slight glare when he lifted a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet.

"Thanks for bringing me," Amy told the Doctor, waving the end of her red scarf.

"You're welcome," he nodded.

"You're being so nice to me," Amy noticed. "_Why_ are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm _always_ nice to you," he replied defensively.

"Not like _this_," Amy argued. "These places you're taking me…Arcadia, the Trojan Gardens, now _this_? I think it's suspicious."

"What?" he chirped as Olivia bit her lower lip to keep herself from giving anything away. "It's not! There's nothing to be suspicious about."

"Ok, _I_ was joking," Amy conceded then frowned at him. "Why aren't _you_?"

They both avoided her gaze of wonder as they turned to pay attention to the guide again.

"Each of these pictures now is worth tens of millions of pounds," the guide explained. "Yet in his lifetime, he was a commercial disaster…sold only one painting, and _that_ to the sister of a friend. We have here possibly the greatest artist of all time, but when he died, you could have sold his entire body of work and got about enough money to buy a sofa…and a couple of chairs."

"That makes me sad," Olivia murmured as the group laughed and the Doctor turned a frown of wonder to her as Amy began sauntering around the circle of paintings. "He was so emotional and creative and…_brilliant_, but no one even cared about him. They just thought he was crazy and beyond help."

"Oh, Liv," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to press a kiss to her temple. "You feel so much for everyone, don't you?"

"Look!" Amy called, grabbing the Doctor's hand and she dragged him toward a wall, Olivia still under his arm as he dragged her with him. "There it is! The actual one!"

Amy held the brochure up next to the painting of a church to show the pictures side by side for a quick comparison before lowering it.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, all three staring at the painting. "You can almost _feel_ his hand painting it right in front of you. Carving the colors into shapes…"

Olivia frowned when he trailed off and looked to him in wonder, but when she noticed the look on his face as he stared at the painting she looked back at it.

"Wait a minute…" he mumbled, stepping a bit closer to the painting.

"What?" Amy wondered, turning her gaze to him.

"Well, just look at that," he urged, making the girls look back to the painting.

"Oh," Olivia breathed in a hollow tone, her eyes widening at the painting.

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed.

"What?" Amy insisted, glancing between them and the painting.

"Something very not good indeed," he replied, scratching wildly at the back of his head, none of them looking away from the painting.

"What thing very not good?" Amy asked again.

"Look in the window of the church," Olivia told her, pointing without touching the painting and Amy leaned in close to see it.

"Is it a face?" she guessed, now seeing what they saw.

"Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "And not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it, and I see it in that window."

"It looks like some kind of weird _bird_—!"

Olivia gave a yelp with the last word when the Doctor yanked her by the hand to drag her toward the guide as he explained something to the group on a painting.

"Excuse me," the Doctor interrupted, flashing his Psychic Paper as Amy hurried after the two. "If I can just interrupt for one second. Sorry everyone, uh…routine inspection, ministry of art and…artiness. So, um…"

"Dr. Black," the guide finished when the Doctor trailed off, wanting his name as they shook hands.

"Yes, that's right," the Doctor nodded then asked, "Do you actually know when the picture of the church was painted?"

"Ah, well…ah! What an interesting question," Dr. Black began. "Most people—"

"I do have to hurry you," the Doctor cut in again. "When was it?"

"Exactly?" Dr. Black wondered.

"As exactly as you can," the Doctor confirmed. "Without a long speech, if possible. I'm in a hurry."

"Sorry, Dr. Black," Olivia chimed in. "He doesn't mean to be rude, really."

"Well, in that case," Dr. Black nodded to her before resumed, "Probably somewhere between the first and third of June."

"What year?" the Doctor asked.

"1890," Dr. Black replied. "Less than a year before…before he killed himself."

"Thank you, Sir," the Doctor smiled. "Very helpful indeed. Nice bowtie."

"Bowties are cool," Olivia nodded in agreement as Amy rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," Dr. Black smiled and nodded to the Doctor, "Yours is very…"

"Oh, thank you," the Doctor smiled in return before patting his arm, nodding, "Keep telling them stuff." He turned to Amy and grabbed a hand each on her and Olivia. "We need to go."

"What about the other pictures?" Amy squeaked, struggling against his grip to see them over her shoulder.

"No, art can wait," the Doctor replied, pulling her in front of him and shoving her ahead with one hand as he marched them out of the exhibit. "This is _life_ and _death_. We need to talk to Vincent Van Gogh."

"See, even when you say it like _that_ it sounds weird," Olivia told him. "It just sounds like 'golf' without the L."

"Liv, just _leave_ it, yeah?"

* * *

_Later..._

"Right! So here's the plan," the Doctor explained as he stepped out of the TARDIS and into the Paris streets, Amy and Olivia right behind him. "We find Vincent and he leads us straight to the church and our nasty friend."

"Easy peasy," Amy smiled as they all strolled down the street, Olivia wrapping her arms around one of the Doctor's.

"I don't think _anything's_ gonna be so easy with Vincent Van _Gogh_," Olivia chimed in, pronouncing his last name as 'go.'

"Now, he'll probably be in the local café," the Doctor reported. "Sort of…orangey light, chairs and tables outside."

"Like this?" Amy asked, pointing to a painting in the brochure she still held.

"That's the one," the Doctor nodded as Olivia leaned over to look at the picture before looking ahead.

"Or maybe a _lot_ like that?" she smirked, nodding ahead and drawing their attention to the café they just happened to stop in front of.

"Yeah," he hummed, strolling toward the maids cleaning up the tables of the café, a man in fancy dress standing in the door and Olivia still on his arm with Amy trailing behind. "_Exactly_ like that. Good evening! Does the name Vincent Van Gogh ring a bell?"

"Don't mention that man to me," the man sighed in exasperation as he marched back into the café.

"Ex_cuse_ us," Olivia muttered before lowering her arms from the Doctor's arm and turning to one of the maids, asking, "Do you know Vincent Van Gogh?"

"Unfortunately," the maid sighed, placing her hands on her hips and Olivia couldn't hide her frown as the Doctor stood next to her.

"Unfortunately?" Amy echoed from one of the tables.

"He's drunk, he's mad and he _never_ pays his bills," the maid replied, irritably.

"Good painter though, eh?" the Doctor smirked and Olivia's jaw dropped in disbelief when the maids laughed, mockingly.

"Come on! Come on!" a man's voice from inside the café called, making Olivia whirl around to face the door as the Doctor took a seat in one of the chairs, Amy looking to the door as well. "One painting for one drink. That's not a bad deal!"

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any _good_," the man in fancy dress, the owner of the café, retorted as he marched out the door with a small painting in his hand, another man with a shock of red hair in raggedy dress following behind him. "I can't hang that up on my walls. It'd scare the customers half to death. It's bad enough having you in here in person, let alone looming over the customers day and night in a stupid hat."

The Doctor pointed silently and excitedly to the man with red hair, a grin on his face as he spoke to Amy, silently, as she had a huge, open-mouthed grin over her face, her eyes as wide as her mouth as she hopped on her feet and Olivia stared wide eyes at the man as she gripped the Doctor's arm and shook it violently. He smiled at the memory of their trip to Planet Hollywood…her excitement at seeing an android celebrity and she had done the same exact thing.

"You _pay_ money, or you _get out_," the owner told the red-headed man.

"I'll pay if you like," the Doctor blurted, making Olivia glance at him with wide eyes before looking to the red-headed man with the same expression as he turned to frown at them.

"What?" the owner questioned, incredulously as Olivia swallowed, her heart fluttering nervously. It was like meeting a celebrity for her. Her favorite artist of them all and he was frowning at the Doctor in wonder before looking to her with the same look.

"Well, if ya like, I'll pay for the drink," the Doctor explained. "Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink."

"Exactly who are you?" Vincent wondered, making Olivia grip the back of the chair the Doctor was sitting in to keep from losing her footing and the Doctor frowned up at her, ready to stand in case she fainted.

"I'm…" he trailed off as he placed a hand near Olivia's back before he looked back at Vincent and resumed, "New in town."

"Well, in that case, you don't know three things," Vincent smirked, making them frown in wonder. "One: I pay for _my_ _own_ drinks, thank you."

The maids and the café owner all laughed mockingly again, making Olivia frown around at them then glare at each of them as Vincent glanced around as well.

"Two," Vincent continued. "No one ever buys _any_ of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town, so if you want to _stay_ in town I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three: Your friends are cute, but you should keep your big nose out of other people's business." He turned back to the café owner to plead, "Now come on, just one more drink. I'll pay tomorrow."

"No," the owner retorted, trying to head back into the café as Olivia and Amy grinned at each other after being told they were cute by _Vincent Van Gogh_.

"_Or_, on the other hand, slightly more compassionate, yes," Vincent hoped, stopping the owner who sighed in exasperation.

"_Or_, on the other hand, to protect my business from madmen, _no_," he retorted, shoving the painting back at Vincent for him to take it.

"Oh, look, just _shut up_ the pair of you!" Amy cut in, turning everyone's attention to her as the Doctor smirked and gave a chuckle as she continued, sashaying toward the owner. "_I_ would like a bottle of wine, please, which I will then share with _whomever_ I choose."

"That could be good," Vincent smirked as she looked to him with a smirk as well.

"That's good by me," the owner conceded and Amy turned to head into the café to find a table, the owner following her to serve the group their wine.

"She's flirting with Vincent Van Gogh," Olivia blurted, her shock now dissipated as she leaned on the back of the Doctor's chair where he still sat.

"You better get in there if you plan to curry favor with him, then," he smirked, waving toward the depressed-looking Van Gogh as he looked to the rejected painting in his hands.

Olivia opened her mouth to reply as she looked to him, but she instantly closed it with a frown when she realized what he'd said…and that he was right. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek before hurrying toward Vincent with a huge grin. He stared down at his painting in sorrow and Olivia hopped up next to him to examine it over his shoulder.

"Oh, a self portrait," she nodded, catching his attention and she smiled up at him. "It's a good one."

"You don't know much about art, do you, love?" he smirked, sadly making Olivia's heart sink at the thought that even _he_ didn't think his paintings were good.

"Well, I'm no critic," she admitted. "But I know what I _like_. And I _like_ this one."

"You're daft," he chuckled as the Doctor finally stood from his chair to head toward them. "I like daft."

"So do I," the Doctor grinned, throwing an arm around Olivia's shoulders as she still grinned at Vincent and he waved toward the café entrance, entreating, "Shall we?"

* * *

**A/N:** Van Gogh! when i first started watching Doctor Who and was thinking about adventures I could dream up for a fanfic, I always wanted to take my OC and the Doctor to meet Vincent Van Gogh, then when I got to this episode I was upset because it had already been done...now I get to do it! Olivia Felton...meet Vincent Van Gogh! reviews?


	31. An Invisible Enemy

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 31: An Invisible Enemy**_

"That accent of yours," Vincent asked Amy as they, the Doctor and Olivia sat at a table in the café sharing a bottle of wine. "You're from Holland like me?"

Olivia stifled a giggle as she sat next to Vincent who was right in front of the Doctor with Amy sitting next to the Doctor, in front of Olivia. He sounded Scottish from the TARDIS' translation matrix, so Amy's Scottish accent must've sounded like a Holland accent to him.

"No," Amy replied, instantly.

"Yes," the Doctor replied at the same time, making Amy and Olivia look to him in wonder as he continued, "She means yes."

Vincent glanced between them, puzzled before he looked to Olivia to ask, "And where are _you_ from? Your accent is different as well."

"Well…where do _you_ think I'm from?" Olivia smiled, leaning an elbow on the table to face him and the Doctor rolled his eyes. She was star-struck. The same thing had happened on Planet Hollywood. She couldn't turn the flirt off with anyone but him.

"I'd say the same place as your friend, here, but he sounds like everyone else around here," Vincent replied, making Olivia glance to the Doctor with a smirk. "English, perhaps? Or the Colonies?"

"The Colonies," Olivia nodded with a grin as she took a sip of wine, and when the Doctor caught her eye, he didn't look happy. She couldn't help but smirk as she stroked the ring on her middle finger with her thumb and found their telepathic link to tell him, "_Why Theta, you are positively pea green. Jealous, much?_"

"So, start again," the Doctor chirped, ignoring her taunt as he lifted a hand to Vincent. "Hello, I'm the Doctor."

"I knew it!" Vincent snapped, not shaking his hand as the three frowned at him.

"Sorry?" the Doctor wondered, lowering his hand to the table.

"My brother's always sending doctors," Vincent explained, irritably. "But you won't be able to help."

"Oh, no, not _that_ kind of doctor," the Doctor chuckled before his eyes lit up at the thing next to Olivia where it leaned against the wall and he pointed to it, grinning, "That's incredible, don't you think, girls?"

"Absolutely!" Olivia grinned as she turned to see the huge painting of two workers sleeping at the foot of a haystack sitting next to her, reverently holding it up for them to get a better look at it.

"One of my favorites!" Amy grinned as Olivia set it back down.

"'One of my favorite' whats?" Vincent snapped, drawing their gazes to him in panic. "You've never _seen_ my work before."

"Ah, yes," Amy blurted, realization dawning on her and she looked between the Doctor and Olivia in panic before quickly adding, "One of my favorite paintings that I've seen…generally."

"Then you can't have seen many paintings," Vincent replied, looking into his glass of wine as Olivia frowned at him when he glanced at the painting. "I know it's terrible. It's the best I could do."

He took a drink from his glass before looking to Amy and leaning forward, stating, "Your hair is orange."

Amy leaned forward as well as the Doctor and Olivia glanced between them and Amy replied, "Yes. So's yours."

"Yes," he replied. "It was more orange, but now is, of course, less."

Olivia frowned in wonder before glancing at the Doctor as he rolled his eyes and fidgeted in boredom, with a sigh to match. She took that as a cue to interject. The conversation was getting…strange, for lack of a better word that she could find.

"So, Vincent," she grinned, making all eyes turn to her in wonder. "Paint any churches, lately?"

"Good question Olivia!" the Doctor grinned, sitting forward again and all eyes turned to him. "_Brilliant_ question, in fact! Any churchy plans, Vincent? Are churches, chapels, religiousy stuff like that something you'd like to get into? You know, fairly soon?"

"Well, there is one church I'm _thinking_ of painting when the weather is right," Vincent replied, looking to Amy then to Olivia.

"That sounds wonderful!" Olivia grinned as the Doctor sat back again with a roll of his eyes. "Something worth watching, I'm sure."

"You're a rather bubbly one, aren't you?" Vincent couldn't help but smirk before he gazed at her in examination, adding, "And your eyes are the most gorgeous shade of green I've seen. I'd like to try to capture that color for my paintings."

"I'm sure you could…easily," Olivia grinned, blushing at his compliment.

"If she can sit _still_ long enough," the Doctor muttered, making Olivia turn a glare to him before they all jumped at the sound of a woman screaming.

They all looked up just in time to see a plump woman run into the café, shouting, "She's been murdered! Help me!"

"That is _not_ good news, at all," the Doctor blurted before shoving out of his chair and hurrying toward the exit, calling, "Come on, girls, Vincent!"

Olivia hurried after the Doctor and he grabbed her hand as Amy and Vincent ran after them around a corner and into an alley as the woman followed them, wailing. They came to a stop in the middle of the alley to see a woman lying in the middle of the cobblestone street.

"Please! Please let me look. I'm a doctor!" the Doctor called as he shoved a couple of bystanders aside and looked over the woman lying dead on the ground. "Oh, no, no, no, no."

He knelt down with Vincent to get a closer look, Amy and Olivia standing behind the Doctor before another woman shoved through the crowd.

"Away, all of you vultures!" she snapped, kneeling next to the dead girl. "This is my daughter! Giselle…what monster could have done this?! Get away from her!"

The Doctor and Vincent both stood to step away, doing as the woman wanted but she grabbed a loose rock from the ground and hurled it at Vincent.

"Get that madman out of here!" she shouted as the crowd shouted and threw things at the four. "It's your fault! You brought this on us! Your madness! _You_! He's to blame!"

The group instantly ran as things were being hurled maliciously at them and they didn't stop running until they were sure they were far enough away. They leaned against the wall at the end of the street, panting to catch their breath and Olivia looked around at the three before settling her gaze on Vincent, who had taken the brunt of the attack.

"Are you ok, Vincent?" she panted, making the other two look to him.

"Yes," he sighed, nonchalantly. "I'm used to it."

"Has anything like this murder happened here before?" the Doctor wondered, approaching Vincent as Olivia leaned next to Amy against the wall.

"Only a week ago," Vincent confirmed. "It's a terrible time."

"As I thought. As I thought," the Doctor muttered, before turning to Olivia and grabbing her hand to head down the street they were in. "Come on, Vincent. We'd better get you home."

"Where are you staying tonight?" Vincent wondered, heading after them as Amy caught up as well.

"Oh!" the Doctor grinned, stopping to pat Vincent's shoulder with his free hand. "You're very kind."

Olivia giggled before the Doctor pulled her down the street, Amy following next to Vincent as they headed for his home.

"Theta, you're not mad at me, are you?" she murmured as they continued down the street, making him turn a slight frown at her.

"No…why?" he wondered honestly, still walking.

"Because…I know I flirt when I'm star-struck," she mumbled and she glanced up at him cautiously to see him give a slight smirk before he pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as they walked. "You know I love you, right? I mean, just because I get starry-eyed over one of my favorite artists or a celebrity doesn't change how I feel about you."

"Oh, I know that, Liv," he smirked, pulling her close to kiss her temple. "That's why I'm not angry. I'll admit I was a bit jealous, but then I remembered you're comin' back to the TARDIS with _me_."

Olivia couldn't help but giggle as she wrapped her arms around him and they all strolled down the street toward Vincent's home.

* * *

_Vincent's Home..._

"Dark night," the Doctor noticed as he and Olivia walked arm in arm closer to Vincent's home, Amy and Vincent trailing behind.

"Very _starry_," Olivia smiled, brightly at him before looking to Vincent over her shoulder to grin, "A starry, starry night."

"Liv, are you about to break into song?" the Doctor smirked, drawing her gaze to him in wonder before she smirked back.

"Maybe," she replied. "Do you want me to?"

"Please…don't," he muttered, looking away as they continued walking and adding, "I've heard you in the shower."

Olivia gave a silent gasp of disbelief and nudged him hard, but kept her arm linked with his.

"It's not much," Vincent warned them of his home as he caught up with the Doctor and Olivia to open the door for them. "I live on my own. But you should be ok for one night. _One _night."

"We're gonna stay with him?" Amy whispered excitedly as the three caught up with Vincent.

"Until he paints the church," the Doctor confirmed as they stopped in front of a clothesline at his door with things hanging from it and that was where Vincent hung his hat.

"Watch out," Vincent warned, making the three look to him. "That one's wet."

"What?" Amy blurted with a slight frown but when Vincent headed into his house, followed by the Doctor, but Olivia let her arm fall from his as she and Amy stared in wide-eyed awe at the painting Vincent had told them was wet.

They stared at the painting of his bedroom before looking to each other with grins each then turned to hurry after the two men. Inside, Vincent lit a lamp, looking to the girls briefly as they entered before heading deeper into the house…where his paintings were scattered around the room.

"Sorry about all the clutter," Vincent apologized about his paintings.

"Some clutter," the Doctor smiled as Olivia still held his arm, jumping up and down excitedly as she looked around in awe.

"I've come to accept the only person who's going to love my paintings is me," Vincent replied as Amy stepped up next to the Doctor opposite Olivia.

"Wow," Amy blurted as the Doctor and Olivia went to inspecting the different paintings. "I mean, really…wow."

"Yeah, I know, it's a mess," Vincent called, sounding exasperated. "I'll have a proper clear-out. I must. I really must."

"Doctor! Look!" Olivia squeaked, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward one of the paintings sitting precariously on the windowsill. "Irises! It's the Irises! Isn't it gorgeous?! Another favorite of mine. It's like being in an exhibit! But more exciting because it's _actually_ Vincent Van—What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

The Doctor smiled warmly at her as she frowned up at him in wonder and he lifted his arm around her shoulders to pull her close and kiss her head, murmuring, "You were rambling. I like it when you ramble. Reminds me of…me."

"Coffee, anyone?" Vincent asked, heading into the kitchen.

"Not for me, actually," the Doctor called back.

"I could go for some!" Olivia called with a grin, ducking out from under his arm to head toward the kitchen in time to see Vincent set his coffee kettle on one of his paintings. She cringed as she saw him move the kettle to the table…leaving a ring of coffee on the painting and she strolled toward him as calmly as possible, smiling, shyly, "You know…you should probably be careful with these."

"What for?" he scoffed as the Doctor came up behind her to see him brush the ring of coffee, spreading it over the painting.

"Well, they're… Well they _could_ be…"

"Precious," the Doctor offered when Olivia trailed off.

"Precious to _me_," Vincent retorted, handing a cup of coffee to Olivia. "Not precious to anyone else."

"They're precious to _me_!" Amy called, swinging herself into the doorway of the kitchen as the Doctor stepped toward the counter to look something over.

"And to me," Olivia smiled, taking the cup of coffee from him. "Thanks."

"Well, you're both very kind," Vincent nodded to both girls. "Kindness is most welcome."

"Right," the Doctor chirped as Vincent reached for some firewood in a nearby cabinet. "So, this church, then, near here, is it?"

"What is it with you and the church?" Vincent snapped in wonder as Olivia sipped at her coffee and Amy stepped fully into the room to pick up a paintbrush and twirl it in her fingers.

"Oh, just casually interested in it, you know," the Doctor muttered, vaguely.

"Far from casual," Vincent chuckled, placing two pieces of firewood into the fireplace. "Seems to me, you never talk about anything else." He nodded to Olivia as he stepped back to the cabinet. "He's a strange one."

"You have _no_ idea," she smirked back, giving the Doctor a sideways, playful glance as he took a sip of coffee and he gave her a comical, sideways glare.

"Ok, so let's talk about _you_, then," the Doctor smirked as Vincent put more firewood in the fireplace. "What are _you_ interested in?"

"Well, look around," Vincent replied. "Art. It seems to me there's so much more to the world than the average eye is allowed to see. I believe, if you look hard, there are more wonders in this universe than you could ever have dreamed of."

"You don't have to tell _me_," the Doctor smirked as Olivia grinned at the artist.

"Or me," she grinned before looking around the room again and froze, spotting one of the paintings on the far wall and breathed, "Oh, my god…"

"I know…it's terrible," Vincent sighed, as Olivia stepped toward the painting, slowly and he followed her as she stopped in front of the Starry Night painting, stepping up next to her.

"No," Olivia breathed, glancing at him before looking back at the painting. "It's _gorgeous_. I love it! It's the best I've seen."

"Again, thank you for your kindness, Olivia," Vincent smiled, making her turn a huge grin at him.

* * *

_Later..._

"It's color!" Vincent explained excitedly to Olivia and the Doctor as they sat near the fireplace, side by side. "Color that holds the key! I can _hear_ the colors. Sh…listen to them. Every time I step outside, I feel nature is shouting at me. 'Come on. Come and get me. Come on. Come on!'" He turned to the Doctor, gripping the lapels of his jacket and shouting, "'Capture my mystery!'"

"Maybe you've had enough coffee now," the Doctor blurted as Olivia stared up at the men with wide eyes…in awe of Vincent's seemingly crazed passion.

"H-How about some tea?" Olivia smiled, drawing Vincent's wide-eyed stare at her then looking to the Doctor as he let go of him, realizing he'd gotten carried away. "Nice calming tea. Do you have any chamomile? That'll calm you right down."

"Where's Amy?" the Doctor wondered and they all looked around the room to see that she had disappeared. They suddenly heard screams from outside, making the Doctor and Olivia shoot to their feet and bolt toward the door with Vincent as the Doctor shouted, "No, no, _no_!"

The three hurried outside to find Amy on the ground, struggling to get to her feet and Olivia hurried to kneel at her side as she questioned, "Amy! What happened?"

"I don't know," Amy replied in a panicked tone. "I didn't see. I was just having a look at some of the paintings out here when something hit me from behind."

"It's ok," the Doctor assured her as Olivia remained kneeling next to Amy while Vincent and the Doctor surveyed the area. "He's gone now, and we're here."

Vincent suddenly started shouting in terror at something behind the girls and backed away, still shouting and making Olivia look around in wonder. The Doctor stepped toward Vincent as he still panicked.

"Take it easy," the Doctor implored. "Take it easy!"

"What's happening?!" Amy called, panicked by Vincent's behavior as he turned to grab a wooden pitchfork. "What's he doing?!"

"I don't know," the Doctor replied as the girls stood to step next to him, all watching Vincent aim the pitchfork at them. "Oh, dear."

Vincent shouted as he charged at them, making Amy scream as the three scattered to let him pass between them.

"Run!" Vincent shouted, still facing away from them, making Olivia frown at him as she watched him wave the pitchfork wildly at…something.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea," the Doctor agreed, the three watching him stab the pitchfork near a stone wall. "Amy, Liv, get back! He's having some kind of fit! I'll try to calm him down!"

Amy ducked into the entrance to the house but Olivia remained where she was, watching Vincent closely as the Doctor hurried around after him as he moved around the yard.

"Easy, Vincent, easy," the Doctor crooned, glancing at Olivia as she came up next to him and making him take a double take at her, incredulously. "Liv! What are you—?! Never mind." He looked back to Vincent, urging, "Look, Vincent! It's me! It's the Doctor, look. No one else is here except me and Liv."

"Look out!" Vincent shouted.

The Doctor and Olivia were suddenly hit and thrown to the left, both flying through the air and to the ground as Amy screamed in terror, all hearing something roar as the Doctor fell on top of Olivia, pinning her to the ground.

"Now _really_ isn't a good time for romance, darling," Olivia groaned, just before he rolled off of her.

"I can't see anything!" Amy called as Vincent continued swinging his pitchfork around seemingly nothing. "What is it?!"

"That is a good question," the Doctor muttered as he shot to his feet, pulling Olivia with him before grabbing a stick as well to stand with Vincent. "Let me help you, Vincent! Liv! Get over there with Amy! No arguments!"

Olivia nodded and hurried toward Amy as Vincent questioned, "You can see him, too?!"

"Oh, yes! Well, no. Not really," the Doctor replied, moving his stick in the air and stepping around the table with a vase of Irises on it so that it was between them.

"Doctor!" Olivia shouted in panic when he was thrown into the air by something hitting him. He flew over the table and Vincent only to land on his back on the ground.

"You _couldn't_ see him," Vincent retorted.

"No," the Doctor panted before shooting to his feet and waving his stick wildly at the air.

Olivia bowed her head to slap her hand onto her face in exasperation at him before her head shot back up when she heard a loud, pained roar. She and Amy watched Vincent in a struggle with the invisible creature, his pitchfork raised and after a moment, Vincent pulled the pitchfork back and loud footfalls were heard, indicating the thing was running away, knocking pathetic looking scarecrows down in its wake. He turned to the girls who came out of their hiding place, but they frowned when they heard the Doctor panting and when they looked to his position, he was still fighting with air, his back to them.

"He's gone," Vincent called, making the Doctor whirl around, his stick in the air.

"Alright, yes, of course," the Doctor panted, lowering his stick to lean on it as Olivia ran toward him. He tossed his stick down just in time to catch her when she threw her arms around him, landing against his chest and making him grunt. "Oh! Hugs now! That's nice."

"Are you ok?" she breathed, pulling back and looking him over before meeting his warm smile. "You look ok. _Are_ you ok?"

"I'm fine, Liv," he smiled, planting a quick kiss to her forehead before taking one of her hands and leading her back toward the house, Amy and Vincent following him, and when they entered the house, he began, "Right. So he's invisible. Vincent, what did he look like?"

"I'll show you," Vincent replied, taking one of his paintings and placing it on the table to quickly stroke white paint over it.

"_No_!" Olivia shouted, catching the Doctor's and Amy's attention and Vincent stopped when she ran up next to him.

"Oh, no, no, no!" the Doctor called, running up next to them and Amy gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as she realized what had happened.

"What?" Vincent frowned between them.

"It's just, um…" the Doctor began, not knowing what to say before he replied, "That was quite good."

"Irises," Olivia pouted like a child whose toy had been taken away, and the Doctor couldn't help but give an amused smirk before wrapping an arm around her shoulders to console her with a hug.

"I know, Liv," he murmured, kissing her temple.

They watched as Vincent sat in a seat next to the fireplace, Amy sitting in front of him and the Doctor and Olivia stood adjacent to him as he began drawing the creature he saw. It wasn't long before the sketch was complete and the Doctor stepped next to him when he presented the drawing to him, Olivia right next to the Time Lord, staring wide eyes at the bird-looking thing with huge claws.

"Ok…ok," the Doctor murmured, and Olivia looked to him with a slight frown at the familiar tone. He cleared his throat before taking the sketch and saying, "Right. Amy, Liv, make Mr. Van Gogh comfortable. Don't let any invisible monsters in through the front door."

"But it could be outside, waiting," Amy warned, standing to stop him, Olivia sailing up next to her.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll risk it," the Doctor replied. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could get torn to pieces by a monster you _can't see_," Olivia retorted.

"Oh, right, yes. That," he nodded, then smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you can say, 'Where's he got to now?'"

He pulled Olivia closer by the arm to plant a kiss to her cheek before turning to hurry out the door.

"Not _that_ fast!" he shouted, turning toward them and making them all jump and the girls scream in fright as he chuckled, "But _pretty_ fast. See you around."

Olivia watched him truly head out this time, twirling the ring on her middle finger once before she hurried after him.

"Doctor!" she called, stopping him just outside the door and he turned to her just as she caught up to him.

"No, Liv, stay here," he ordered, gently. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"I know," she nodded before slipping her arms around his neck to pull him close and press her lips to his, gently. His arms slid around her as he still held the sketch and pulled her closer for a moment before she pulled back to look into his eyes. "For luck…to make _sure_ you'll be fine."

"I love you, Liv," he smiled, warmly.

"I love you, too, Theta," she whispered, both lowering their arms from each other and she backed into the house as he backed into the yard as she smirked. "You're running out of time, Time Lord."

He grinned before cautiously turning and heading into the night as Olivia turned back into the house, nervously twirling her ring on her finger.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	32. A Delicate Man

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 32: A Delicate Man**_

Olivia gasped as she jumped with a start in her chair, startled by a sudden sound coming from Vincent's small bedroom, and she knew exactly what the sound was. It was the same thing that had kept her up all night…his snoring. She sighed in exasperation as she leaned back in her chair next to the fireplace and looked to Amy as she glared at her as well, both irritated by Vincent's snoring.

"Where's the Doctor?" Amy groaned, nearly whining as Olivia rubbed her face and glanced around the morning-lit room.

"Good question," Olivia sighed again, standing and stretching. "Probably still at the TARDIS. I'll go get him. Wanna come with?"

"Yeah," Amy sighed, standing as well and they headed toward the door, being careful not to wake Vincent, though both were sure _nothing_ could wake him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Olivia yawned as they looped their arms together, heading down the streets toward the TARDIS.

"Do you ever wonder if you should marry the Doctor?" Amy wondered and Olivia turned a wide-eyed frown at her.

"Have ya _met_ River?" Olivia retorted, both still walking.

"So you think she's his wife?" Amy asked and Olivia's gaze shifted as she looked ahead again. She wasn't sure how much the Doctor would want her to tell Amy. He always kept secrets, and now she understood why, but she could never be sure if she could do the same. Be that strong.

"I think he and River have history," she replied tactfully. "He ran into her once before he met me, so it really has nothing to do with me at the moment. But…if he asked me to marry him…I wouldn't hesitate to say yes. I love him."

Amy grinned and hugged Olivia's arm nodding, "And I'm _positive_ he loves you too. Want me to tell him to propose?"

"Amelia Pond, don't you _dare_!" Olivia warned, making Amy laugh, but Olivia's smile fell when she noticed a tear trickle down her cheek, even as she laughed when they reached the TARDIS. She said nothing as she turned to open the door and step in, immediately kicking something across the floor and making her frown in wonder at it before looking around. "God, this place is a mess! What did he do in here?"

"Where is he?" Amy wondered, glancing around as Olivia made her way up the stairs to the console.

"Doctor?" Olivia called, glancing around before heading toward the console to flip some switches and watch the screen hanging above it. "Well, he left in a hurry…" She frowned at the screen, continuing, "…with something strapped to his chest. Come on."

She trotted down the steps and Amy followed after her as they headed past the TARDIS, Amy shutting the door behind them. Both girls slowed their march when they found an array of debris littering the street, making them both frown as they passed through it. Olivia caught a glimpse of a sleeve on one side of a square pillar and knew it was the Doctor, but didn't call to him. They both quickened their pace, but just as they were about to round the corner, the Doctor turned as well, nearly ramming into them, making all three scream or shout in fright and jump back at the sight of each other.

"Never do that!" the Doctor shouted, still in fright when he realized it was Olivia and Amy then added, in a softer voice, "You scared the living daylights out of me."

"Sorry," Amy and Olivia both replied, coming down from their fright as well as the Doctor straightened his bowtie.

"We got bored. As much as you admire his command of color and shape, it _is_ hard to get fond of Vincent Van Gogh's _snoring_," Amy explained.

"That bad, eh?" the Doctor wondered, adjusting the machine strapped to him.

"I dunno about Amy but I didn't sleep a wink," Olivia muttered, almost pouting.

"Well, you can sleep it off in the TARDIS, if ya like," the Doctor offered as Olivia leaned her head on his shoulder. "The both of you."

"What _is_ that ridiculous thing you're wearing?" Amy questioned of the machine.

"A bowtie," Olivia blurted.

"Oi!" the Doctor scolded, making both girls snicker, both feeling punchy from lack of sleep as he glanced between the two. "Bowties are cool! And, Liv, if you're going to be snarky like that, you can stay in the TARDIS and miss all the fun."

"So what is it?" Amy asked again, crossing her arms and leaning next to them on the pillar.

"It's something I used to identify what we're up against," the Doctor replied, vaguely before taking Olivia's hand and leading her down the street. "Come on! Let's give Mr. Van Gogh a little inspiration this morning, eh?!"

* * *

_Later..._

"Amy, this isn't what the Doctor meant," Olivia chided, setting yet another basket of sunflowers around the courtyard as Amy fluffed the ones in the vase on the table.

"He said to inspire him, didn't he?" Amy argued, sitting at the table.

"Yeah, to paint the _church_, not sunflowers," Olivia retorted, heading toward the table to sit as well just as the Doctor brought a tray and set it on the surface.

"Alright!" he cheered, turning on his heel as he said, "I'll go get Vincent."

"I can't believe you collected all of these sunflowers," Olivia told Amy, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What's your favorite flower, Olivia?" Amy asked, touching the petals of one of the flowers in the vase.

"Carnations," Olivia smiled broadly, remembering the night of her graduation when the Doctor had given her flowers and placed a carnation in her hair.

"Good to know," Amy nodded, making Olivia frown at her but they soon turned their attention to the upstairs window where Vincent's room was to see the Doctor standing in it, gazing over the courtyard.

"Oh, what a morning," he grinned, making Olivia giggle at the squinted look on his face from the sun being in his eyes. A second later he was gone, and a second after that Vincent stood in the window as they heard the Doctor say, "And Amy's got a little surprise for you."

"I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving me last night," Amy explained, making Olivia roll her eyes, but she noticed Vincent _was_ smiling as he stood in the window. "I thought you might like, you know, possibly to perhaps paint them or something? Might be a thought."

Olivia gave a look to the Doctor as he approached to serve breakfast and he just gave a shrug as Vincent replied, "Yes, well they're not my _favorite_ flower."

"You don't like sunflowers?" Olivia questioned as they all looked up at him but he looked to a sunflower standing just outside the window, reaching out to touch its petals.

"No, it's not that I _don't_ like them," Vincent corrected. "I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying. Half human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting. But you know, they _are_ a challenge."

"And one I'm pretty sure you will rise to," the Doctor replied, chuckling at the irony. "But moving on, there's something I need to show you."

Amy stood to head back into the house and Olivia stood as well as the Doctor handed Amy a teacup first then handed one to Olivia as she stopped next to him.

"You know who he reminds me of when he talks like that?" she murmured, making him frown in wonder at her.

"Who?" he asked, warily.

"You," Olivia smirked.

"Me? Why?"

"The way he says things," Olivia shrugged. "The passion…the reverence. It's like you with the TARDIS or when you're explaining something about the universe."

"Yeah? And?" he wondered, sincerely.

Olivia smiled, sweetly as she stepped closer to him to press a quick, tender kiss to his lips, before whispering, "Just another thing my two favorite men have in common."

"I thought Aaron and Jack were your favorites?" he recalled as Olivia turned to head into the house and he quickly followed her. "Besides me, that is."

"I have many favorite men," she shrugged, cutely. "You're at the top of the list, though. Don't worry."

"Oh, I don't worry about things like that, Liv," he smirked, slinging an arm over her shoulders to pull her close and press a kiss to her temple, whispering in her ear, "I know you're my girl. No doubt about that."

"Not after almost five years, huh?" she smirked as they entered. "Which reminds me…our anniversary's coming up."

"Is it?" he smiled back, knowingly. "Five years since Prom?"

"Yup," she nodded with a broad grin. "Maybe we can do something special…_go_ somewhere special?"

"We'll see," he smiled as they entered the kitchen and he lowered his arm from her shoulders to reach into his inside jacket pocket, Vincent sitting in a chair next to the fireplace with Amy standing next to him. The Doctor handed the paper he found in his jacket and handed it to Vincent.

"That's him!" Vincent confirmed and Olivia leaned over enough to see the pictures on the paper. "And the eyes…without mercy."

"This is a creature called the Krafayis," the Doctor explained, and as he continued he took Olivia's hand as he stepped toward one of the other chairs in the room to sit. "They travel in space. They travel as a pack, scavenging across the universe. Sometimes one of them gets left behind, and because they are a _brutal_ race, the others never come back. So, dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, utterly _abandoned_ Krafayis. And what they do is…well, kill…until they're killed. Which, they usually aren't, because other creatures _can't_ see them."

"But I _can_," Vincent said.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, tugging on Olivia's hand to sit her across his lap and keeping her there by wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "And that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to _end_ this reign of terror. Right, Liv?"

Olivia looked to him before looking to Vincent with a slight blush at her position and nodded, then tried to change the subject by asking, "So, Vincent, feel like painting a church today?"

"What about the monster?" Vincent wondered, not seeming to notice Olivia's embarrassment.

"Take my word for it," the Doctor smirked. "If you paint it, he _will_ come."

Vincent paused for a moment before nodding, "Ok. I'll get my things."

"In your own time," the Doctor assured him as Vincent stood and headed into his room for his things. "And I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow."

Olivia looked up at Vincent, still perched on the Doctor's lap and frowned when she noticed the painter pause in the doorway of the room, glancing between the three. He looked worried, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was what the Doctor had said about them leaving, but she said nothing as he hurried out of the room.

"This is risky," the Doctor muttered, making Olivia look to him with wide eyes as he stared ahead and Amy sat in the seat that Vincent had vacated.

"Riskier than normal?" Amy wondered.

"Well, think about it," he whispered, harshly so that she could hear him, still not letting Olivia leave his lap. "This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's _greatest_ year of painting. If we're not careful, the net result of our pleasant little trip will be the _brutal_ murder of the _greatest_ artist who ever lived."

"Half the paintings in that museum would disappear," Olivia breathed, meeting the Doctor's wary gaze as he nodded.

"And it'll be _our_ fault," he murmured, setting his chin on Olivia's shoulder as she exchange a glance with Amy.

They remained in contemplative silence for a moment before Olivia broke it.

"We should finish our breakfast," she advised, sipping at her tea in her hands and moving to stand from the Doctor's lap, which he allowed. "Can't chase an invisible monster on empty stomachs."

* * *

_An Hour Later..._

"I'm telling you, you should ask him when he's going to bloody propose to you," Amy murmured as they sat at the table in the courtyard, the Doctor pacing out of earshot as they all waited for Vincent, and Olivia turned a wide-eyed stare of disbelief at her. "You're practically married already, just do it!"

"Amy!" Olivia snapped in a hushed tone before glancing at the Doctor who still paced and murmured to her, "It's not that simple."

"Sure it is!" Amy retorted, making Olivia sigh and bowed her face into her hands as her elbows rested on the table, the Doctor heading for the house again to find Vincent. "He loves you, you love him, just _do it_!"

"Amy, please stop," Olivia groaned, her fingers rubbing at her eyes, her palms on her cheeks. "You don't understand, and even if you did, I'm sure you'd _still_ argue, but right now, can you put a lid on it?"

"Fine," Amy muttered, crossing her arms in front of her. "Only tryin' to help."

Olivia sighed and lowered her hands as she looked to the ginger and replied, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just really complicated and I don't wanna get into it with an invisible Krafayis out to kill us right now. Forgive me?"

Amy looked to Olivia skeptically before smiling and nudging her arm, her arms still crossed as she nodded, "Yeah, we're good."

"Good," Olivia nodded with a smile as well.

They both jumped when they heard shouting coming from Vincent's room, unable to hear what he was saying, but they both shot to their feet and ran toward the stairs leading to the door, meeting the Doctor at the top.

"What's happening?" Amy asked as they stopped in front of him and he leaned on the railing of sunflowers, looking away from the girls in thought.

"We're leaving," he replied in a low tone, making the girls frown at him in wonder as he continued, "Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just months from now he'll…he'll take his own life."

Olivia could see the pain in his eyes as he said it, and at the thought of it, it made her heart clench. He said nothing else as he shoved off the railing and was about to head down the stairs, gripping Olivia's hand to pull her with him when Amy stopped them.

"Don't say that," she begged, turning to face him just as he turned to face her. "Please."

He bowed his head before turning and pulling Olivia down the stairs back into the house to look over the paintings inside once more, Amy right behind them. They all looked over a few hanging from the wall before the Doctor broke they're sorrowful reverie.

"Ah, come on," he urged the girls. "We have to do this on our own. Go to the church at the right time and _hope_ the monster still turns up."

They were about to head toward the door when a silhouette fell over them and they all turned to see Vincent in his straw hat and long coat stepping into the room.

"I'm ready," he told the three as Olivia felt a grin slide over her lips at the sight of him grabbing one of his brushes from a small pot on the table against the wall. "Let's go."

Olivia turned her grin to the Doctor who couldn't help but smirk at the artist before looking down at her with a grin as well.

"Allons-y?" she murmured through her grin, making his grin widen.

"Geronimo," he replied with a lift of his eyebrows, making Olivia giggle in return.

* * *

_On the Road..._

"Theta," Olivia whispered, holding his hand as she watched Vincent and Amy stroll ahead of them, carrying all his things.

"What?" the Doctor whispered back, gazing at them as well.

"So…much…red…_hair_!" she grinned, playfully but frowned when he gave a pout.

"Don't remind me," he muttered, recalling he had wanted to be ginger when he regenerated.

"I'm sorry you're so sad," Amy told Vincent as the two behind them strolled, still hand in hand, Olivia cheering the Doctor up with a kiss on the cheek.

"But I'm not," Vincent objected, light-heartedly. "Sometimes, these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now." He took Amy's hand, adding, "If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh."

Olivia gave a sneer as the Doctor grinned at her in a very 'I told you so' manner at hearing Vincent pronounce his own name the way the Doctor pronounced it.

"I'm not _soldiering_ on. I'm fine," Amy laughed.

"Oh, Amy," Vincent sighed. "I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone, I think."

"I'm not sad," Amy argued.

"Then why are you crying?"

Olivia frowned in disbelief at the Doctor then looked to Amy just as she touched her cheek. Amy frowned as she looked to her fingertips where the tear was smeared over the tips of them then looked to Vincent as he looked back at her in sympathy, but her eyes were wide as she stared at him in confusion.

"It's alright," he assured her. "I understand."

"I'm not sure _I_ do," Amy admitted as they all still walked down the road.

"Theta," Olivia whispered to the Doctor making him look to her in wonder. "That same thing happened this morning. She was laughing but…she was crying."

He looked at her for a moment and she could tell there was something he wasn't telling her…something he was trying to figure out, and she knew he wasn't going to tell her until the very last moment.

"Ok," he murmured before looking ahead to speak to Amy and Vincent ahead of them as well. "Ok! So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns—"

"Then we shall fight him again," Vincent told him, stopping and turning to the Doctor and Olivia as Amy stepped ahead but stopped to look to the three.

"Well, yes…tick," the Doctor requested before continuing, "But last night, we were lucky. Amy could have been killed. So this time, for a start, we have to make sure _I_ can see him, too."

"And _how_ are we meant to do that, suddenly?" Amy questioned, recovered from her confusion.

"The answer's in this box," he replied, lifting the box he was carrying to pat it before stepping around Vincent, Olivia right behind him. "I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother."

Amy frowned at Olivia who held a hand up and shook her head as she passed the ginger, replying, "Don't even ask."

They strolled along for another few steps before stopping when they looked ahead to see a procession heading toward them. They soon realized it was a funeral procession.

"Oh, no," Vincent murmured in realization as they came closer. "It's that poor girl from the village."

Vincent removed his hat and placed it over his heart in respect, all four bowing their heads as the coffin passed, and Olivia looked up with a glassy gaze to see a bouquet of sunflowers resting on the lid of the coffin.

"You have a plan, right?" Olivia murmured, looking up at the Doctor when the procession passed.

"No," he replied, making her frown at him as he took her hand in his free one to pull her down the road again. "It's a thing…it's _like_ a plan, but with more greatness."

"Oh, not another 'thing'," Olivia sighed, making him frown at her in wonder as she shook her head, Amy and Vincent following behind them.

"What does _that_ mean?" the Doctor questioned and she met his gaze.

"As great as your 'things' are, sometimes…they have _bad_ outcomes," she murmured so the two behind them wouldn't hear. "And this is something we can't even _see_! You could be—!"

The Doctor frowned in wonder, stopping and turning her by her hand to make her face him when she cut herself off and bowed her head. Amy and Vincent stepped around them, but turned to them in confusion.

"Doctor?" Amy called, making him glance to her before looking back at Olivia who kept her head bowed. "Everything alright?"

"Go on ahead, Amy, Vincent," the Doctor replied, not looking away from Olivia. "We'll catch you up."

He saw the two start ahead out of the corner of his eye and set the box down before stepping closer to Olivia and gently taking her chin into his fingers to bring her gaze to his. He visibly cringed when he saw tears flowing down her cheeks, making him lift his hands to her face and use his thumbs to wipe the tears away.

"Liv, Liv, sweet Liv, where is this coming from, eh?" he wondered breathlessly. "You've been acting so strangely ever since the Silurians."

"It's Amy and Rory," she shuddered, sniffling as he lowered his hands to her shoulders, looking over her face as she wiped her face. "That crack…it just swallowed him up and Amy doesn't even _remember_ him! They were _engaged_, Theta! What if—?! What if that thing swallows _you_ up and I forget _you_?!"

"Oh, Liv," he breathed as she lowered her face into her hands, sobbing quietly. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her continue to sob into her hands as he pressed his lips to her ear to murmur, "You're afraid, and I understand that. But honestly, _you_ have nothing to fear. _You_ wouldn't forget me."

"But you've always been part of my world," she recalled, lifting her head to look up at him, her hands resting on his chest to feel his hearts beating under them. "It doesn't matter if I'm a time traveler, because you're part of my world and I could _still_ forget you!"

"Even if you did, which you wouldn't, you'd eventually remember me," he argued gently, cupping her face in his hands to keep her gaze on his. "You and I have always been drawn toward each other. _Pulled_ toward each other." He sighed as he set his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and still holding her face. "You said it yourself. We've got our own gravity pull, and that pull is so strong that you and I could find each other across the cosmos. Across _time_ itself. You believe in it and so do I, and that's all you need to remember me…even if that crack swallows me up, which it won't. Please, Liv, stop crying. I can't bare it."

Olivia sniffled and nodded before lowering her head again to wipe her face, and the Doctor lowered his hands from her face to reach into his jacket and pull out a handkerchief to wipe her face and nose.

"I'm sorry, Theta," she shuddered as he dabbed her cheeks and eyes. "I just worry about losing you. I'd _die_ if that happened."

"I know, darling," he murmured, placing the kerchief over her nose as if she were a child and gently ordered, "Blow."

She obeyed, blowing her nose without remark and he wiped her nose again before folding the kerchief and tucking it away into his jacket again. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, lifting the box next to him and leading her down the road again to head after Amy and Vincent.

"Now, I know you're worried about me," he assured her as they still walked. "And with the life we lead, I'm not surprised at all. But you have to _trust_ me that everything is gonna be alright, got it?"

"We?" she breathed, making him stop and frown down at her as she stared up at him with glowing jade eyes.

"What?"

"You said, 'the life _we_ lead'."

"Yes, well…" he trailed off, shifting on his feet as his hand came down from her shoulders and he scratched at his chin. "You and I travel through time and space. We."

"You've never said _we_, before," she recalled.

"Sure I have. Of course I have."

"No, you always say it's the life _you_ lead."

"Well, what _difference_ does it make, Liv? You're my girl. You're with me, like you wanted. We're a team, so naturally it's _we_."

"The difference is that _we_ implies that you're thinking about making it _us_…forever."

The Doctor stared at Olivia with wide eyes, and try as she might she couldn't detect the emotion behind them. It was an unreadable, blank stare. His poker face. Without another word he took her hand in his and turned to pull them along the road, making her frown at his back as she stumbled behind him.

"Now is not the time for this," he explained in an equally unreadable tone. "We'll talk about it after we take care of this. In the TARDIS. Out of earshot of Amy, got it?"

"Yes, Theta," she nodded, breathlessly.

* * *

**A/N:** whatever you're thinking...no. well, maybe, but mostly no. at least not yet. well maybe not ever but i'm thinkin about it. we'll see. (if you have no idea wut i'm talking about then well done XD kidding) reviews?


	33. A Church

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 33: A Church**_

Vincent stabbed his easel stand into the grassy ground in front of the church, setting his painting supplies next to his chair where he sat, Olivia, Amy and the Doctor hovering around him.

"And you'll be _sure_ to tell me if you see any, you know…monsters," the Doctor hoped, leaning on the back of Vincent's chair.

"Yes," Vincent replied, looking over his shoulder at the Doctor. "While I may be mad, I'm not stupid."

"That's not what he meant, Vincent," Olivia assured him with a smile, standing on the other side of him. "He's just nervous."

"I am _not_," he argued, stepping next to her as she rolled her eyes and he knelt next to Vincent, resuming, "And to be honest, Vincent, I'm not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex—"

Vincent cut in gently by shushing him, drawing it out as the Doctor looked to him in wonder and Olivia couldn't help but smirk before the painter whispered, "I'm working."

"Well, yes," the Doctor nodded. "Paint. Do painting!"

Olivia and Amy watched Vincent begin his work, in absolute awe even though he hadn't _truly_ started, but soon the Doctor broke his silence as he paced next to the three.

"I remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine chapel," the Doctor regaled them as he stepped up next to Olivia. "Wow! What a whinger. I kept saying to him, 'Look, if you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job, mate'."

Amy shushed him, making him sneer at her but Olivia ran a hand down his arm, making him look to her with a smile.

"Was he really afraid of heights?" she murmured, softly so as not to disturb Vincent's work.

"Deathly afraid," he murmured, making her give a small giggle.

This time the silence lasted a bit more than a half hour before the Doctor broke his silence again with another story as the sun began to set.

"And Picasso!" he nearly shouted, making her and Amy jump as they looked to him when he continued, "What a ghastly old goat! I kept telling him, 'Concentrate, Pablo. It's one eye…either side of the face'."

"Quiet," Amy ground out, making him sneer at her again.

Olivia sighed as she took the Doctor's hand and pulled him away from the two, toward the church, making him frown at her in wonder.

"Liv—?"

"Sit with me," she cut into his question, sitting down and still holding his hand. He sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. "I know you're nervous and…impatient, but you have to let this take its course."

"I'm not nervous," he insisted. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because you _are_," she argued. "You can't hide it from me. It's a ruthless alien that you have to fight but can't _see_, Theta. I don't blame you."

He sighed and rested his cheek on top of her head, murmuring, "You know me too well, Liv."

"After five years, I better," she smirked, snuggling against him but rolled her eyes when he gave a sigh of boredom rather than contentment.

She was surprised when he was able to remain quiet for another hour or so, but some time after night fell he asked, "Is this how time _normally_ passes? _Really_ slowly. In the right order."

"Imagine how _I_ felt for four years," Olivia couldn't help but mutter, and a second later she was falling sideways onto the grass when the Doctor shot to his feet and she stared up at him incredulously as he marched toward Vincent and Amy.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an _unpunctual_ alien attack!" he snapped, marching past the two as Olivia frowned at his back. She watched Amy hurry after him as she stood, brushing the grass from her clothes.

"Are you ok?" Amy wondered, marching after him to speak with him as Olivia strolled up next to Vincent to look over his progress.

"Nervous, you say?" Vincent asked her, referring to her earlier comment on the Doctor's mood, making her look to him with wide eyes before nodding.

"Yeah," she chirped with a nod, looking back at the painting. "He's got funny ways of showing things. He's not used to sitting still for long."

"There!" Vincent called, making her look to him, but she looked to the church when he pointed his brush at it. "He's at the window!"

"Where?" Olivia questioned, hearing the Doctor's and Amy's footsteps in the grass heading back toward them.

"There, on the right," Vincent replied.

"As I thought," the Doctor replied, coming up next to Olivia as they all stared at the church, though she wasn't sure why, the three of them couldn't see it. "I'm going in."

"Well, I'm coming, too," Vincent reported as Olivia frowned at the Doctor when he lifted his case then looked to Vincent with wide eyes when she registered his words.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, stopping and staring at Vincent. "You're _Vincent Van Gogh_. No."

"But you're not armed," Vincent pointed out.

"I _am_," the Doctor argued, making Amy and Olivia frown at each before they looked back at him.

"With _what_?!" Olivia demanded, skeptically as he clutched the case he brought with him.

"Overconfidence, this, and a small screwdriver," he replied, patting the case. "I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right prosatic setting and stun him with it. Sonic never fails. Anyway, Amy, Liv, only one thought, _one_ simple instruction: Don't follow me under any circumstances."

"I won't," Amy nodded.

"Oh, you _are_ an idiot! _I'm_ going with you!" Olivia retorted, marching toward him when he turned to head into the church but he stopped and whirled on her.

"No, Olivia! Stay!"

"What am I?! A dog?! I'm not letting you face this thing alone!"

"Get back there with Amy and Vincent or I'll leave you off with your mum after this, understand?!"

Olivia stared at him with wide eyes, her heart plummeting to her stomach as he turned and marched into the church. She was frozen in her place for a moment before she turned to head back toward Vincent and Amy, absolutely stunned. He'd never threatened to leave her back at home, no matter _how_ difficult she was being. Something was wrong, and it wasn't about this adventure. It was something deeper, she could tell.

"Will you follow him?" Vincent asked Amy as he slung an arm over Olivia's shoulders when she stepped next to him, her mind reeling.

"Of course," Amy smirked as if he should know the answer.

"I love you," Vincent smiled at Amy who smiled back, warmly before he looked to Olivia, still under his arm as she stared ahead with what looked like panic over her face.

"And you, dear?" he murmured, bringing her wide-eyed stare up to meet his gaze. "I think I know your answer already. You truly love him, don't you?"

Olivia gave a weak smile and nodded as she looked back to the church, answering, "With all my heart."

"Has he moved?" Amy wondered as she began to pace.

"No," Vincent replied, looking to the church and lowering his arm from Olivia's shoulders. "Just shifted to the next window."

"This is why I _hate_ waiting for him," Olivia ground out, glancing at Amy as she still paced. "I'll end up like _that_ in a minute."

"But wait!" Vincent called, drawing their attentions to him and Amy ran to his side. "He's turning now!"

Olivia burst into a run, heading straight for the church doors as Amy and Vincent called out for her to wait, but she ignored them. As she reached the doors she was about to pull them open when she heard a roar and a crash…and the Doctor's shout. A new urgency to get to him filled her as she pulled the heavy doors open and ran in, searching for him. She heard the whirring of the Sonic Screwdriver and roaring and headed toward the sounds. She saw him up ahead and hurried toward him as he stopped in a doorway to look behind him.

"Theta!" she grinned, relieved he was in one piece and running, but she jumped when he shouted with a start.

"I thought I told you—!" he shouted then cut himself off, adding, "Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Oh, and you've brought _Amy_! Well done! Quick! In here!"

Olivia frowned but when she turned she saw Amy hurrying toward them and the Doctor grabbed her hand to pull her toward a confessional box. He pulled her in with him on one side of it, Amy hurrying in on the other side of the divider as they shut the doors. Olivia stood facing him in the darkness of the wooden box and swallowed as their eyes met.

"Absolutely quite," he whispered to the both of them, and Olivia nodded, feeling the need to hold her breath as he moved the curtain hanging next to him to look outside. They both frowned at each other as they heard heavy breathing and the Doctor leaned over to slide the small door of the divider aside to whisper to Amy, "Can you breathe a little quieter, please?"

"No!" she whispered back. They all fell silent when they heard the Krafayis outside growling and shuffling around and Amy whispered again, "He's gone past."

The Doctor shushed her as Olivia rolled her eyes, knowing that just because he'd gone past them didn't mean they were in the clear. She looked up at the Doctor and frowned in absolute disbelief and wonder at the expression on his face. He was _grinning_!

She brushed the ring on her middle finger with her thumb, finding their psychic bond and questioning, "_What the __hell__ are you grinning at?!_"

"_Just remembering Amazonia_," his reply came ringing into her head, bringing the memory to her mind as well and she couldn't help but smile as well. "_If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't __against__ being tied up with my arms around you in a dark space_."

"_Concentrate so we don't get killed_," she scolded, playfully.

As if on cue, Amy screamed as something made a hole in her door.

"I think he heard us," Olivia murmured, then screamed when a hole burst into _their_ door as well.

"That is impressive hearing he's got," the Doctor admitted just before another hole was made next to his head, making Olivia scream again. She threw her arms around his neck when the box began shaking. "What's less impressive are our chances of survival."

Amy let out an ear piercing scream as Olivia buried her face in his chest and he wrapped an arm around her, one arm keeping them from shaking around in the box.

"Hey, are you looking for _me_, sonny?!"

Olivia gasped at the sound of Vincent's voice outside as she looked up at the Doctor, the box stilling. The Doctor grinned down at her and she smiled back, planting a grateful-to-be-alive-and-saved kiss to his lips as Vincent still shouted at the Krafayis.

"Come on! Over here! Because I'm right here waiting for you!"

The Doctor nodded to Olivia and she shoved the door open to head out, grinning at Vincent as he thrust a chair at the invisible Krafayis.

"Come on!" he called, waving at them. "Quickly! Get behind me!"

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and ran toward Vincent, Olivia quickly grabbing Amy's hand as they passed her and they all ducked behind Vincent. The Doctor aimed his Sonic at the thing, trying to stun it.

"Doing anything?" he asked Vincent.

"Uh-uh," he replied before the three ran toward the door behind them.

"Where is he?!" the Doctor questioned as Vincent hurried up to them, still holding his chair up in front of him and keeping the three behind him.

"Where do you _think_ he is, you idiot?" Vincent shot back. "Use your head!"

The Doctor used the Sonic on it again over Vincent's shoulder and asked, "Anything?"

"Nothing," Van Gogh replied. "In fact, he seemed to rather _enjoy_ it."

"I _knew_ you were gonna use that setting out of context!" Olivia snapped, a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Not _now_, Liv!" the Doctor chided.

Vincent suddenly whirled around and the Doctor stepped back, Amy and Olivia following Vincent as he aimed the chair toward the Doctor.

"Duck!" Vincent ordered the Doctor, who instantly obeyed. "Left!"

The Doctor moved to his left but was suddenly thrown toward the wall on his right, making Olivia scream as he slammed into the stone and sunk to the ground.

"Right, sorry," Vincent apologized as Olivia ran toward the Doctor to kneel next to him to make sure he was alright, he and Amy running toward them as Vincent guarded them with the chair. "_Your_ right, _my_ left."

"This is no good at _all_," he panted as Olivia patted his face and limbs to make sure nothing was broken. "Run like crazy and regroup."

"Come on!" Olivia strained as she helped him up.

"In here!" Amy called, running toward a huge door, Vincent dropping his chair and running after her as the Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand to follow them as well. They all ducked through the door but when they moved to shut it, something was keeping it open a foot or two.

"Out!" Vincent shouted, stomping his foot into something in the door opening and the door slammed shut at the sudden loss of resistance, and they all rested back on it.

"Alright," the Doctor panted, looking between Amy and Vincent on either side of him, Olivia now resting her head on his chest as she stood in front of him. "Ok. Here's the plan. Amy, Rory—"

"Who?!" Amy chirped, making Olivia shoot a wide-eyed stare at him.

"Sorry!" the Doctor blurted at Amy, flustered as he looked back to Vincent. "Um…Vincent—"

"What?!" Olivia cracked then cleared her throat to save him by asking, "What's the plan?!"

"I don't know, actually," the Doctor admitted, making her bow her head in exasperation. "My only definite plan is that in future, I'm definitely just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws."

"Idiot," she couldn't help but blurt out in a sigh, shaking her head.

"Give me a second," Vincent said. "I'll be back."

"Seriously, he _almost_ said it like Arnold Schwarzenegger," Olivia blurted again as they watched him walk away before she turned to the Doctor and murmured, "And I _hope_ you don't mean what you said about the Sonic."

"We'll see," he replied, not really listening to what she implied and she knew he'd get it later. Now they were all just trying to stay alive. "I suppose we could try _talking_ to him."

"_Talking_ to him?!" Amy chirped in disbelief.

"Well, yes," he replied. "Might be interesting to know _his_ side of the story."

They all heard the Krafayis screech on the other side of the door.

"Sure, but he's probably _not_ in the mood for a conversation right now, don't ya think?!" Olivia shot back and as if to prove her point the door shook in its place as the alien tried to get into the room.

"Well, no harm trying," the Doctor blurted before turning to face the door in order to speak to the Krafayis. "Listen. Listen! I know you can understand me, even though I know you won't understand _why_ you can understand me. I also know that no one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but _please_ listen. I also don't belong on this planet. _I_ also am…alone. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know…understanding. And then…and _then_, who knows?"

The crash of one of the windows sounded behind them, making the girls scream as they all whirled toward the sound.

"I don't think he's in an understanding _mood_, dear!" Olivia noticed.

"Over here, mate!" Vincent shouted, running back toward them with his easel stand, the ends aimed ahead of him and taking cover behind a stone column. The three ran toward him, making sure they were ducked behind him and the Doctor gripped Olivia's hand tightly.

"What's it up to now?" he asked Vincent, who kept his eyes on it.

"It's moving 'round the room," Vincent replied, before moving to take cover with Amy behind a stone table. "Feeling its way around."

"What?" the Doctor frowned at Vincent as he and Olivia remained behind the column.

"It's like it's trapped," Vincent observed. "It's moving 'round the edges of the room."

"I can't…see…a thing!" Amy whispered.

"I am _really_ stupid," the Doctor murmured in a low tone, making Olivia frown up at him in wonder.

"Oh, get a grip!" Amy shot back. "Now is not a moment to reevaluate your self-esteem!"

"Theta?" Olivia whispered in wonder, trying to connect their thought patterns.

"No, I am _really_ stupid," he repeated before looking to Olivia and meeting her frown of wonder as he added, "And I'm growing old. Why does it attack, but never eat its victims? And _why_ was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? And _why_ is it feeling its way _helplessly_ around the walls of the room?"

"Oh my god," Olivia breathed in realization and the Doctor only nodded, knowing she'd figured it out before looking to the two ducking behind the stone table.

"It can't see," he explained to them. "It's blind."

"Well, that certainly explains its perfect hearing," Olivia added.

"Which unfortunately also explains why it is _now_ turning around and heading straight _for_ us," Vincent reported, all coming from their hiding places.

"Liv! Get out!" the Doctor shouted, shoving her toward the door as Amy ran toward it, but he stayed behind Vincent. "Vincent, what's happening?"

"It's charging now!" Vincent replied, holding his stand toward the invisible Krafayis. "Get back! Get back!"

They all heard the thing scream and Vincent was suddenly lifted into the air, still holding onto his stand and making both girls scream as the Doctor stood back with them. Vincent hung in the air for a moment before letting go of his stand and falling the few feet onto the floor, instantly coming to his feet. The seemingly floating stand now hung in the air as the sounds of pain and suffering echoed through the stone chamber and the group slowly approached it.

"He wasn't without mercy at all," Vincent realized, holding his hat in his hands as Amy and Olivia stopped on either side of him and the Doctor stepped closer to the place where he could tell the Krafayis was now lying. "He was without _sight_. I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to _wound_ it. I never meant to…"

"We know, Vincent," Olivia whispered, stroking one of his arms to comfort him, Amy stroking the other as they all watched the Doctor.

"He's trying to say something," the Doctor reported, kneeling next to it.

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

"I'm having trouble making it out," the Doctor replied. "But I _think_ he's saying, 'I'm…I'm afraid. I'm afraid.' There, there. It's ok. It's ok. You'll be fine."

The Krafayis gave his last breath as the Doctor soothed him and a wave of sorrow rolled over the group before Vincent spoke.

"He was frightened," he began as the Doctor stood, Olivia stepping away from Vincent to head toward the Doctor. "And he lashed out, like humans, who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me."

Amy looped her arm around Vincent's to comfort him as Olivia slid her hand into the Doctor's when she met him.

"You know…" she sighed, looking down at their hands and stroking her thumbs over his fingers. "Sometimes…winning isn't fun."

He stared down at her before pulling his hand from hers and wrapping it around her shoulders to pull her close. Her cheek rested on his chest as his other arm came up to hug her, her arms wrapping around him to hug him in return.

"I'm sorry, Liv," he whispered into her hair before lowering his arm and taking her hand again. "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	34. A Difference

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 34: A Difference**_

Olivia couldn't help but smile at the Doctor as they, Amy and Vincent lay in a circle on the ground near a tree, staring up at the night sky. Olivia reached out and took the Doctor's hand in hers as he smiled back at her, not noticing Vincent take Amy's hand as well.

"Hold my hand, Olivia," Vincent requested, drawing her attention to him as he lifted his hand toward her and she took it without hesitation as the Doctor and Amy took each other's hands as well. "Try to see what _I_ see. We're so lucky we're still alive to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is, in fact, deep blue."

He lifted Olivia's hand still in his to point to the sky, continuing, "And over there, lighter blue. And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air, and then, shining, burning, bursting through…the stars! Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."

"The Starry Night," Olivia breathed in awe through a grin. "It's gorgeous."

"I've seen many things, my friend, but you're right," the Doctor murmured. "Nothing…quite as wonderful as the things you see."

Vincent pulled Olivia's hand, still in his, to his chest as he lifted Amy's hand to examine her fingers, murmuring, "I will miss you terribly."

"We'll miss you too, Vincent," Olivia smiled, running her thumb over his fingers where their hands still sat on his chest as his other hand still held Amy's. "It's been…inspiring to say the least."

"Thinking of taking up painting, Liv?" the Doctor wondered through a smirk, his thumb gliding over her knuckles, gently.

"No," she hummed, still staring at the night sky. "I have my _own_ project."

The Doctor frowned at her, but when she didn't look back at him, he looked back at the sky as well. He didn't even try to use their telepathic link, knowing she would probably explain it to him later…at least he hoped.

"We should go inside," Amy murmured, watching Vincent caress her hand and wrist, idly. "It's been a long night."

"I agree," the Doctor nodded, pulling his hand from Amy's and shooting to his feet, dragging Olivia with him. Her hand was pulled from Vincent's as the Doctor twirled her into his arms, hugging her tightly and making her giggle as he pressed a kiss to her cheek, then whispered into her ear, "You…me…TARDIS?"

"Behave, Theta," she whispered back, kissing his chin as Amy and Vincent stood as well.

"Right," he chirped. "Back to the house, you two?"

* * *

_Morning..._

"I only wish I had something of _real_ value to give you," Vincent apologized, as Amy giggled, Olivia staring huge eyes at the thing in the Doctor's hands…a self-portrait of Vincent.

"Oh, no," the Doctor grinned. "I could never accept such an _extraordinary_ gift."

"But—!"

"No, Liv. Can't," the Doctor cut into Olivia's objection as he handed the painting back to Vincent and she pouted.

"Very well," Vincent replied, taking the painting. "Well, you're not the first to decline the offer." He set it down before lifting his arms and grinning, "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful."

Amy grinned back before stepping toward him and they kissed each other's cheeks before hugging each other tightly.

"Be good to yourself," Amy requested before they pulled away. "And be _kind_ to yourself."

"I'll try my best," he nodded.

"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone," she whispered, rubbing one of her cheeks and making Vincent chuckle.

"I will. I will," he smiled. "And if you tire of this Doctor of yours, return, and we will have children by the dozen!"

"Eek," Amy nodded, awkwardly before Vincent turned to the Doctor.

"Doctor, my friend," he began, shaking his hand. "We have fought monsters together, and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do as well."

The Doctor pulled him by his hand and hugged him tightly without a word before stepping back and patting Vincent's arm. He took another step back and Olivia could feel tears coming to her eyes but quickly blinked them away.

"Olivia, darling," Vincent smiled, reaching for her hand and pulling her toward him, making her give a squeak of surprise. "Did you think I'd forgotten about you?"

"Well, I _was_ feeling neglected," she smirked before grinning and throwing her arms around his neck to hug him close as he hugged her in return before they pulled away again. "It really has been wonderful meeting you, Vincent. I'm gonna miss you."

"Well, since it seems Amy won't be returning any time soon, perhaps I could snatch _you_ away from this Doctor by proposing marriage before _he_ does?" Vincent smirked, holding both of her hands in his.

Olivia instantly felt hers and the Doctor's telepathic link connect and heard him warn, "_Alright, now I'm worried. Make him let go of you __now__, Liv_."

"Vincent, that is a _generous_ offer, and, honestly, I would've taken you up on that in a heartbeat…if I wasn't _very_ much in love with the Doctor," Olivia replied, ignoring the Doctor's order at the moment as she stepped closer to press a kiss to Vincent's cheek just above his beard.

"Well, I had to try," Vincent shrugged with a smile, letting her go as the Doctor and Amy trailed toward the door and she hurried after them.

The Doctor rested his arm over Olivia's shoulder to pull her closer as they walked across the courtyard.

"Are you two thinking what _I'm_ thinking?" he grinned.

"I was thinking I may need some food or something before we leave," Amy replied as they stopped and the Doctor turned Olivia so they could face the ginger.

"Well, no, you're not thinking _exactly_ what I'm thinking," he realized before looking to Olivia and asking, "What about you? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh…I don't think you were thinking what _I_ was thinking," she muttered, her gaze lowering to his bowtie as she lifted a hand to play with the knot. He looked down at her in realization, a blush coming over his cheeks before he turned back to the house, keeping her under his arm.

"Vincent!" he called and Olivia couldn't help but giggle when Vincent leaned out of his window to sit on the sill…shirtless. "Got something I'd like to show you. Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first."

They watched Vincent duck into the window again before the Doctor turned to Olivia with a huge grin making her frown in wonder at him.

"What are you grinning like an idiot for?" she wondered through a small smile. "What are we showing him?"

"He's gonna love it," he grinned.

Once they saw Vincent heading toward them in his usual attire the three turned to lead him toward the streets again…toward the TARDIS.

"Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there _might_ be _more_ to life than _normal_ people imagine?" the Doctor explained, turning the corner to see the TARDIS covered in posters and making him groan as they all approached.

"Yes," Vincent replied.

"Ha, well, brace yourself, Vinny," the Doctor smiled as they all reached the TARDIS.

He used his key to cut through the posters at the seam where the door started to unlock and open it then pushed the door open to let Vincent look inside. The painter stepped inside, looked around then came out to look around at it, obviously baffled at how it could be bigger on the inside. He stepped out, walked around the box then looked to the three as they all grinned at him.

"How come _I'm_ the crazy one and you three have stayed sane?" Vincent wondered, walking back into the TARDIS, and the three followed him.

"Who says we're sane?" Olivia smirked, taking his hat from his head as they all laughed and Amy shut the door behind them as they all headed toward the console.

"What do these things all do?" Vincent wondered, frowned at the console.

"Oh, a _huge_ variety of things," the Doctor replied, running around the console. "This one here, for instance, plays soothing music."

He pressed the button and music began playing, filling the control room with the sounds of flutes and clarinets playing a cheery tune. Vincent watched Olivia twirl in her spot before gripping her hand and twirling her himself, making her giggle.

"While this one makes a huge amount of noise," the Doctor continued explaining, pulling the lever down to prepare for take off and sounds filled the room along with the music, making Vincent cringe as he let Olivia go to stick a finger in his ear. "And _this_ one makes everything go absolutely tonto."

He shoved something into place and the TARDIS shook like crazy, making the four grip the console as Olivia and the Doctor ran around the console to operate the TARDIS.

"And this one?" Vincent asked as the TARDIS settled, pointing to something on the console.

"That's the friction contrafibulator!" the Doctor shouted in warning, making Vincent lift his hand from it and step closer to Olivia where she stood.

"And this?" he asked her.

"Oh, that's ketchup," she smiled, pointing to the red light, then pointed to a yellow one close by, adding, "And that's mustard."

"Nice," he nodded, then looked around at them, grinning, "Come on. Back to the café, and you can tell me about all the wonders of the universe."

"Good idea," the Doctor replied, giving Amy and Olivia a wink as he turned Vincent toward the stairs leading toward the door. "Although, actually, there's a little something I'd like to show you first."

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand to run toward the door, leaving Vincent and Amy to trail behind them. Once outside, the door shut behind them and Olivia looked back at it to see the last of the posters burning off of it, leaving it blue and gorgeous.

"Where are we?" Vincent asked and Olivia looked up at the familiar building with a grin before they all stopped and turned to face him.

"Paris," the Doctor replied. "2010 A.D. And _this_ is the mighty Museé d'Orsay, home to many of the _greatest_ paintings in history."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Vincent smiled before he caught sight of a couple of people carrying a handheld radio with music coming out of it and he frowned in wonder.

"Oh, just ignore that," Olivia smiled, pulling on his arm to drag him toward the museum with the Doctor and Amy. "We've got something more important to show you."

As they made their way through the museum, Vincent stopped to look at a few of the paintings and sculptures, but Olivia remained on his arm to pull him after the Doctor and Amy, knowing exactly where they were taking him. Once in the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit, Olivia let his arm go and he stared around at all the paintings in shock. He looked to Olivia as she smiled widely and lifted her hands in presentation, the Doctor stepping toward a familiar face.

"Dr. Black," the Doctor called him closer as Amy and Olivia remained next to Vincent while he still stared around with wide, glassy eyes. "We met a few days ago. I asked you about the church at Auvers."

"Oh, yes," Dr. Black recalled as Amy and Olivia pulled Vincent a little closer to where he was standing with the Doctor. "Glad to be of help. You were nice about my tie."

"Yes," the Doctor smiled at the memory. "And today is another cracker, if I may say so. But I just wondered, between you and me, in a hundred words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"

Olivia bit her lip nervously as she watched Vincent carefully, her arm in his once again as they both listened to Dr. Black's response, Vincent already tearing up at the display itself.

"Well, big question," Black sputtered slightly. "But to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly, the most popular _great_ painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of color the most _magnificent_. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into _ecstatic_ beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to _use_ your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world…no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's _greatest_ artist, but also one of the greatest _men_ who ever lived."

"Oh, Vincent," Olivia whispered, seeing tears roll down his cheeks as he tried to stifle his sniffles while he wept. She pulled him close to hug him, drawing Black's, Amy's and the Doctor's attention to them. "It's too much, isn't it?"

"No. They are tears of joy," Vincent shuddered as they pulled apart, the Doctor stepping up to them before Van Gogh turned to Black and approached him, kissing both his cheeks and hugging him as well. "Thank you, sir. Thank you."

"You're—You're welcome," Black replied in confusion as Vincent released him.

"Sorry about the beard," Vincent added before turning and heading out of the exhibit with the Doctor, Amy and Olivia who hung on his arm again. He rested his head on her shoulder as he began weeping again and Olivia couldn't help but smile, knowing they were more tears of joy.

* * *

_Later..._

"This changes everything!" Vincent grinned, stepping out of the TARDIS and into a field in his time again, the three trailing after him. "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man. I still can't believe that one of the _haystacks_ was in the museum. How embarrassing."

"It's been a _great_ adventure and a _great_ honor," the Doctor grinned, shaking his hand again and hugging Vincent.

"You've turned out to be the first doctor _ever_ actually to make a difference to my life," Vincent grinned as they pulled apart again.

"I'm delighted," the Doctor grinned back. "I won't ever forget you."

Olivia and Amy grinned at Vincent as he turned to them, the Doctor heading toward the TARDIS to open the door when they were ready to leave.

"And you _are_ sure marriage is out of the question?" Vincent asked Amy as she stepped up to him.

"This time," Amy nodded before launching herself into his arms for a hug, adding, "I'm not really the marrying kind."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek before stepping away from him and hurrying toward the TARDIS, telling the Doctor, "Let's go back to the gallery _right_ now."

"Hang on," he replied as she passed him and into the blue box. "Let Liv get her goodbye as well."

"And _you_?" Vincent smiled as Olivia strolled up to him. "Still going to stick with your Doctor?"

"Well, I waited four years for him, so I think I'm pretty attached to him," she nodded with a smirk before throwing her arms around his neck and he chuckled as he hugged her tightly in return.

"I'll never forget you, Olivia Felton," he whispered as they stepped apart. "Nor the Doctor, nor Amy. You be sure to take care of him, my starry-eyed girl."

"Believe me, I try," she nodded before pressing a kiss to his cheek and turning to head into the TARDIS, where the Doctor was waiting at the door.

"Ready?" he smiled as she passed.

"Ready," she smiled back as he shut the door and they both headed to the console, operating it to head back to the gallery.

Olivia frowned when Amy ran toward the door and looked to the Doctor as he only gave a sharp sigh through his nose and held his hand out to her. She took it, still frowning at him as he led her to the door, heading out after Amy, shutting the door behind them.

"Time can be rewritten!" Amy called as they all headed toward the museum. "I _know_ it can!"

"Theta," Olivia murmured in realization. "Does she think…?"

"Yes," he sighed when she trailed off as they still followed Amy.

"Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh," Amy grinned, running up the stairs, confirming Olivia's theory. "There'll be _hundreds_ of new paintings."

"I'm not sure there _will_," the Doctor cautioned, Olivia remaining silent as he still held her hand and she could feel his sorrow through their telepathic link as Amy raced to the Van Gogh exhibit.

When they reached the exhibit, Olivia and the Doctor stood back as Amy looked around at the paintings just as they heard Dr. Black explaining something about his last painting, adding that he'd committed suicide at thirty-seven. Olivia felt her heart clench and her eyes began tearing up. A part of her had hoped, as Amy had, that maybe something _had_ changed, and that Vincent had lived to an old age. But apart of her _knew_, like the Doctor, that nothing could change. Vincent Van Gogh was far too important to history.

"So, you were right," Amy murmured, stepping toward them, her eyes red as tears filled them as well. "No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all."

"I wouldn't say that," he objected, letting go of Olivia's hand to hug Amy, tightly and hold her in place. "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things. But, vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant."

The Doctor let go of Amy, keeping one arm around her shoulders to pull Olivia under his other arm as he continued, "And we _definitely_ added to his pile of good things. _And_ if you look carefully…"

He pulled them both toward the painting of the church, resuming, "Maybe we _did indeed_ make a couple of little changes."

"No Krafayis," Amy noticed as they looked in the window where it had been.

"No Krafayis," the Doctor smiled, letting his arm fall from her shoulders to examine the painting.

Olivia watched Amy heading toward one of the paintings and followed her, holding the Doctor's hand and pulling him after her. They stopped next to Amy as she stared at the painting of sunflowers and they all noticed something different than before. On the vase was written, For Amy, Vincent. It made the Doctor give a whistle.

"If we _had_ got married, our kids would have had very, _very_ red hair," Amy realized in a soft voice with a small smile.

"The ultimate ginger," the Doctor smiled.

"The ultimate ginge," Olivia smirked, making all three of them laugh, softly.

"Brighter than sunflowers," Amy whispered.

* * *

_Later in the TARDIS..._

Olivia fiddled with a knob on the console as she stood leaning against it and staring blankly at the lights and switches, deep in thought. Her attention was drawn to the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS when the Doctor descended them alone.

"Where's Amy?" Olivia wondered as he stepped around the console toward her.

"She wanted to be alone for a bit," he replied, stepping up behind Olivia as she nodded and still leaned forward on the console. She gave a smile when he slide his hands over her arms to meet her hands and wrap both his and her arms around her, pulling her close and setting his chin on her shoulder, murmuring, "How are _you_, Liv?"

"As fine as I can be, Theta," she murmured, though she still smiled, resting her head back on his shoulder. "How are _you_?"

"The same," he mumbled, fiddling with her fingers before entwining his fingers with hers to hug her tightly for a second, lifting his head from her shoulder and nuzzling his face into her hair. "So what's this project you hinted at earlier?"

"You," she smiled without hesitation. "Getting you to propose to me."

"Really?" he breathed into her hair and she could hear the caution in his voice.

"I know there's River," she began, neither one leaving each other's arms. "And…I'm not going to leave you, even if you _never_ marry me. But I've just been thinking that…I'd like to make it official…for me."

She swallowed when he said nothing for a moment, waiting for his response, if he had one. She felt his hold on her tighten a little more and bit her lip, wondering if she should say something or turn to look at him or stay still.

"Is that what you want?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Well…yes," she muttered, looking down at their hands and stroking her fingers against his as he still held them. "I love you. I'd like to feel like I'm…_really_ your girl."

"But you _are_ my girl, Liv."

"I know that…" She trailed off as she finally turned in his arms to face him, lifting her hands to his face to stroke his cheeks, her finger tips in his hair as he met her gaze and she resumed, "…but I want the whole _universe_ to know it. When we go traveling, for all anybody knows, I could be your _sister_."

"Oh, Liv," he groaned, disgusted at the thought. "They won't think that when they notice how I treat you."

"You want more people proposing to me like Vincent did?"

"That was different. He only did that because you were flirting with him. And I'm not worried about that, because I know you'll refuse them."

"That's not the point, and _you_ know it." Olivia sighed, lowering her hands to his shoulders as his arms remained around her waist. "Look, I want this, but I'm not going to force you or guilt you into it. I just want you to know that…I'm thinking about it and I won't say 'no' if you finally ask me, no matter how or when, ok?"

"Ok," he murmured with a nod, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you, Liv. It's just so complicated and this life we lead is _so_ dangerous. I don't want to lose you…to _anything_."

"I worry about the same thing, Theta," she whispered, her hands sliding down his chest. "I worry every second that something's gonna happen and you'll either regenerate or it'll be so bad that…you _don't_ regenerate and you—"

"Don't Liv," he cut in, softly. "Don't think like that. I will _never_ leave you alone."

She only nodded, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of losing her Highwayman. He tilted his chin up to capture her lips with his and she instantly returned his kiss, not even phased when he pressed her back into the console, her hands slipping up his chest and into his hair to pull him closer. They pulled away with a smack to breathe, again resting their foreheads against the other's, panting softly for breath.

"I've thought about it, Liv," he admitted in a whisper. "I just need to think about it a bit more. You know me. Always thinking."

"I know," she smiled, broadly at his confession. "That's why I love you."

"I _adore_ hearing you say that, Liv," he grinned, making her giggle.

"So where are we going next?" she smiled, making lazy circles in his hair with her fingers and he let his head lull back into her hands to enjoy the feeling before leaning toward her to press a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose.

"I was thinking we could head to the Fifth Moon of Sinda Callista," he grinned, shooting from her arms and running around the console to operate it. "Gorgeous landscapes. Craters made into swimming holes! And, there's a market that sells the _best_—Why are you looking at me like that?"

Olivia smiled warmly at him as she leaned forward on the console, watching him before strolling around it to his side to press a lingering kiss to his cheek.

"I love it when you ramble," she murmured before pulling away enough to see him grin down at her. "I'll go tell Amy where we're going."

* * *

**A/N:** oooh! he's thinking! he's thinking! reviews?


	35. A Suitable Cover

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 35: A Suitable Cover**_

"I don't think this is it, Doctor," Olivia reported as the TARDIS settled when they landed, Amy and the Doctor with her at the console.

"It _must_ be," he argued, frowning at the console. "I put the coordinates in properly…didn't I?"

"Maybe we took a wrong turn?" Amy wondered as the Doctor and Olivia both headed toward the door.

"We'll check," Olivia assured her as the Doctor opened the door and leaned out to look around.

"No, it's definitely not the Fifth Moon of Sinda Callista," he admitted as Olivia nearly pressed herself against him to look around as well, making him step forward a bit. "I think I can see a Ryman's."

"Looks like Earth," Olivia frowned, glancing around.

Both were suddenly thrown forward and onto the ground when the TARDIS door slammed shut and the whirring of its engines sounded.

"No!" Olivia shouted, seeing the TARDIS take off as she rolled onto her back, lying next to the Doctor.

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted and they both watched the blue box disappear completely with wide eyes before looking to each other with the same expression and he breathed, "Well…this isn't good."

"Oh, ya _think_?!" Olivia shot back, shooting to her feet and dusting herself off as the Doctor stood as well, doing the same. "Well now what? Amy's on the TARDIS, which has obviously _rebelled_ against you. What did you do to her?!"

"Nothing!" he snapped defensively, turning to pace. "I did nothing! How do you know it wasn't something _you_ did, eh?!"

"Don't pin this on me! I'm _always_ nice to the old girl, and _you_ know it!"

"Right!" he barked before he stopped pacing and ran a hand over his face in exasperation before lowering his tone as he continued, "This is getting us nowhere. We need a plan."

"Alright," she nodded in agreement as he resumed pacing in front of her. "Will the TARDIS come back?"

"Of _course_ she will," he replied, still pacing. "We just have to figure out what's going on here before she'll come back. Something scared her off and we _need_ to figure it out. So, first thing's first…" He pulled the Sonic from his inside jacket pocket and its whirring sounded through the park as he said, "This way!"

He grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the street, both being led by the Sonic Screwdriver until they reached a block of flats. He snapped the Sonic open to read his results with a frown then looked up at the building as he tucked the Sonic away.

"Well…that's a problem, isn't it?" he muttered, making Olivia frown at him.

"What is?" she asked, glancing at the building before looking back at him.

"The readings coming off the second floor of that building are…astronomical," he explained, not looking away from the building and she could tell the wheels in his head were turning before he looked back at her. "We'd better head into town for some rent."

"Rent?" she frowned in absolute confusion as he turned and pulled her back down the street and deeper into town until he stopped at a cash machine.

"Right," he hummed looking at it before looking at her and asking, "You know how to get money out of this, right? Good, do that, I'll get a bag. Be back in a jiff."

"Wait, Doc—!" Olivia tried stopping him but he was already hurrying off, making her sigh in exasperation when she looked back at the machine.

Usually she would just type in her serial number and the amount she need right into it and the machine would do what it needed to. But this was a new year, a different place. Who knew what the thing would do if she did that. Glancing around the thankfully empty street she pulled out her Sonic and used it on the machine. It instantly began spitting out the notes inside, making her hurriedly gather them into her hands. A moment later the Doctor was by her side, a bag in his hands as he placed it under the slot where the money was spilling out.

"You used the Sonic on it, didn't you?" he smirked as the bag filled.

"Shut up," she muttered. "How much is that?"

"Not sure," he shrugged, before taking her hand and leading her back down the street. "That building's looking for a lodger. I say we give it two."

"We need a cover," Olivia told him, making him frown.

"What for?" the Doctor wondered.

"Saying you're the Doctor and I'm your Companion isn't really gonna fly."

"Why not? That's what _I_ am and that's what _you_ are?"

"But what's our relationship? Friends? Cousins? Brother and sister? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Husband and wife?"

"Why do we have to have a title?"

"Because pretty much _all_ human couples do. Jeez, now I know why Jack _hates_ titles. They _are_ annoying."

They soon climbed the few steps to the door of the building they'd stopped at and the Doctor rang the doorbell as Olivia looked up at it.

The Doctor lowered his arm from Olivia's shoulders to grip her hand and drag her toward a shop on the street to look at the paper hanging in the window. They both read it silently and Olivia frowned in disbelief.

"I'm getting that feeling again," Olivia murmured, looking to the Doctor and it was then that she noticed something in his left ear that looked like a hearing-aid before the door opened.

"I love you," the man blurted, a set of keys with a fluffy pink keychain in his hand and it was obvious the Doctor and Olivia were not the people he was expecting to be at the door.

"Well, that's good, 'cause we're your new lodgers," the Doctor replied without missing a beat. He reached out and took the keys, adding, "Do you know, this is going to be easier than I expected."

"But I only put the advert up today," the man frowned at them. "I didn't put my address."

"Well, aren't you lucky we came along? More lucky than you know," the Doctor replied, looking up at the second floor again before he referred to the advertisement, saying, "Less of a young professional, more of an…ancient amateur, but, frankly, I'm an absolute dream. We _both_ are. Aren't we, darling?"

"Hang on, mate, I don't know if I want you two staying," the man warned before snatching the keys back from the Doctor. "And give me back those keys! You can't have those!"

"Yes, quite right," the Doctor replied, calmly before handing him the bag. "Have some rent. That's probably quite a lot, isn't it? Looks like a lot. _Is_ it a lot? I can never tell. Come on, Liv!"

"Uh…wait—!" Olivia was cut off when the Doctor pulled her through the two doors and she gave the man an awkward smile as she was dragged passed him.

"Don't spend it all on sweets," the Doctor warned him, looking up the stairs they stopped in front of and the door at the top of them. "Unless you like sweets. I like sweets."

Olivia sighed, bowing her head in her hand as the Doctor finally let her other hand go and stepped toward the man to leave air kisses on either side of his face.

"That's how we greet each other nowadays, isn't it?" the Doctor asked no one in particular then glanced between the door at the top of the stairs and the man as he spoke. "I'm the Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor, I don't know why. I call me the Doctor, too. Still don't know why. Oh! And this is Olivia Felton! She's a dream too. Though she's prettier, and doesn't talk as much."

"Oh, my God, you're an idiot," Olivia sighed, her head still in her hand.

"Craig Owens," the man finally introduced himself before asking, "The Doctor?"

"Yup," the Doctor nodded.

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I just ask, who lives upstairs?" Olivia asked.

"Just some bloke," Craig replied as the two turned back to him.

"What's he look like?" the Doctor asked, making Olivia frown at him but she said nothing else.

"Normal," Craig shrugged. "He's very quiet." A loud bang came from upstairs as if to prove him wrong and he added, "Usually."

The Doctor, still holding Olivia's hand, dragged her through the door to the left of the stairs.

"Sorry, who are you again?" Craig questioned as the Doctor pulled Olivia into the kitchen/sitting room. "Hello? Excuse me!"

"Ah," the Doctor hummed as he stopped next to the sofa and Olivia's eyes shot wide when she saw a dark spot on the ceiling that was spreading across it and down the wall. "I suppose _that's_ dry rot?"

"Or damp, or mildew," Craig replied, unsure.

"Or neither," Olivia blurted, she and the Doctor still staring at the stain.

"I'll get someone to fix it," Craig assured them.

"No, I'll fix it," the Doctor objected. "I'm good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister. No, I'm the Doctor, don't call me the Rotmeister."

"I have to say this is the _cutest_ parlor I have _ever_ seen," Olivia smiled warmly, stepping toward the kitchen and pulling the Doctor with her by the hand.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, pulling Olivia into his arms to hold her from behind. "You're obviously a man of _impeccable_ taste. We can stay, Craig, can't we? Say we can."

"You haven't even seen the room," Craig realized.

"The room?" the Doctor frowned.

"_Your_ room."

"My room? Oh, yes! My room, my room. Take me to my room."

"_Our_ room, Doctor," Olivia whispered.

"Yes! _Our_ room. Sorry, Liv."

"So…you're married?" Craig wondered.

Olivia and the Doctor spoke at once…

"Yes." Olivia nodded.

"No," the Doctor shook his head.

Craig frowned at the two before Olivia stepped forward with a smile, out of the Doctor's arms to take his hand.

"We're newly-weds," she lied, smoothly through a smile. "Still getting used to the idea. This is just a temporary living situation until everything's sorted with our flat in London."

"Right," Craig nodded before waving them to follow him and he led them to the room, letting the Doctor pull Olivia by the hand into the room ahead of Craig. "Yeah, this is Mark's old room. He owns the place. Moved out about a month ago. This Uncle he'd never even heard of died and left a load of money in the will."

"How convenient," Olivia muttered as the Doctor let her hand go and pushed on the bed before looking around it.

"This'll do just right," the Doctor nodded. "In fact—"

He was interrupted by the sound of more banging and crashing from upstairs, making Olivia gasp and look to the ceiling, latching onto the Doctor's arm with a start. He looked up at the ceiling as well and lifted his index finger to his mouth to lick it and hold it up as if testing the air of the room.

"No time to lose," he muttered as Craig frowned at him. "We'll take it. Ah! You want to see our credentials."

He pulled the Psychic Paper from his jacket as Olivia let him go and he held it up.

"There…" he began. "National Insurance Numbers…" He held it behind it back to switch hands, holding it up again, "NHS numbers…references."

"Is that a reference from the Archbishop of Canterbury?!" Craig wondered in disbelief as he tucked the Psychic Paper away again.

"We're his special favorites," the Doctor confirmed with a smirk before pressing a finger to his mouth in a sign that it was a secret then asked, "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Hungry, Liv?"

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand again to drag her out the door, down the hall and into the kitchen.

"I haven't got anything in," Craig reported, following them into the kitchen where the Doctor rummaged through the fridge.

"You've got everything I need for an omelet," the Doctor objected as he shut the fridge and took a pan to set it on the stovetop, Olivia stepping toward the counter to pull herself onto it and watch him, giggling when he cracked an egg in the pan. "Fines herbes! Pour deux!"

"_Trois_, Docteur," Ollivia pouted, drawing their attention to her. "Vous oubliez toujors moi." (You always forget me)

"Sorry, Liv," the Doctor smirked at her French and she winked back at him.

"Craig, who's the girl on the fridge?" Olivia asked, making his frown disappear as he looked to her and the Doctor still cooked.

"My friend, Sophie," he replied.

"Girlfriend?" she wondered.

"Friend who's a girl," Craig corrected with a smile. "There's nothing going on."

"Ah," the Doctor nodded. "That's completely normal. Works for us, right, Liv?"

"We met at work about a year ago at the call center," Craig went on.

"Oh, really?" the Doctor replied, grinding some pepper into the omelet. "A communications exchange? That could be handy."

"Yeah, firm's going down, though," Craig replied. "The boss is using a totally rubbish business model. I know what they should do. I got a plan all worked out, but I'm just a phone drone. I can't go running in, saying I know best."

Olivia frowned as she watched the Doctor toss some sliced ham into the omelet then squeeze some mayonnaise into it as well, making her blanche.

"Why am I telling _you_ this?" Craig wondered. "I don't even _know_ you."

"Well, I've got one of those faces," the Doctor replied, mixing the omelet. "People never stop blurting out their plans while I'm around."

"It's true," Olivia nodded when Craig looked to her.

"Right," he nodded then asked her, "Where's your stuff?"

"Don't worry," the Doctor assured him when Olivia opened her mouth to reply then frowned at him as he said, "It'll materialize, if all goes to plan."

"He means our stuff is on its way," Olivia corrected, but Craig was still frowning at her in wonder.

"You sound American," he noticed. "How did _you_ two meet?"

"Oh, he pretty much just…dropped out of the sky, really," she smirked and the Doctor turned around with a grin for her, giving her a wink before turning back to mixing their omelets.

"You seem so comfortable with each other," Craig noticed.

"We've been living together for a while," Olivia smiled as the Doctor finished their omelets and began preparing their plates.

"Here you are," he grinned, handing plates to Craig and Olivia. "Bon appétit!"

* * *

_Later..._

"That was incredible!" Craig sighed as he sat on the sofa after polishing off his omelet, the Doctor sitting in the armchair next to him with Olivia sitting across his lap. "That was _absolutely_ brilliant. Where did you learn to cook?"

"Paris," the Doctor replied as Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck. "Eighteenth century. No, hang on." He looked to Olivia, asking, "That's no recent, is it? Seventeenth?"

Olivia shook her head, glancing from him to Craig as he frowned.

"No, no, no, twentieth," the Doctor resumed. "Sorry, I'm not used to doing them in the right order."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?" Craig wondered.

"Actually…they never really stop," Olivia replied, making the Doctor frown up at her but she only shrugged, rubbing her thumb over her ring on her middle finger to find their telepathic connection and tell him, "_We're supposed to be __normal__, remember?_"

"Ever been to Paris, Craig?" the Doctor asked and replied to Olivia, "_Normal is boring. And you lie very well…__too__ well._"

"Nah," Craig replied, fiddling with the keys in his hand. "I can't see the point of Paris. I'm not much of a traveler."

"I can tell from your sofa," the Doctor nodded, making Craig and Olivia frown at him in wonder.

"My sofa?" Craig echoed.

"You're starting to _look_ like it," the Doctor replied, making Olivia give a silent gasp and smack his chest, in turn making him grunt and pout up at her, rubbing his chest where she'd hit him.

"Thanks, mate. That's lovely," Craig laughed, sarcastically to Olivia's relief. "No, I like it here. I'd miss it, I'd miss…"

"Those keys?" the Doctor noticed when he trailed off, making Olivia frown at Craig's hand where he held the fluffy pink keychain.

"What?" Craig frowned in wonder, looking to the keys.

"You're sort of…_fondling_ them," the Doctor replied.

"I'm _holding_ them," Craig argued, standing from the couch and leaving the keys on the arm of it.

"Right," the Doctor replied skeptically as they watched Craig head back toward the kitchen.

"Anyway…" Craig explained, snatching something from the cabinet near the door and holding them up. "These are your keys."

"We can stay?" the Doctor wondered, excitedly as he and Olivia stood to head toward him, all three grinning.

"Yeah," Craig chuckled. "You're weird and you can cook. It's good enough for me. Olivia, I'll have another key made for you, if ya like?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about that," Olivia smiled with a dismissive wave. "He and I don't really go anywhere without each other, one set of keys is fine."

"Right," Craig nodded, holding the keys out and explaining, "Outdoor…front door…_your_ door."

"My door," the Doctor grinned, taking the keys. "My place. My gaff!"

"_Our_ gaff, darling," Olivia reminded him with a smile. "_Our_, remember? What yours is mine. What's mine is yours."

"Yes, of course, sorry, dear," the Doctor replied before grinning again, "Ha, ha! Yes! Me with a key. I mean _us_…_us_ with a key."

"And listen," Craig began. "Mark and I, we had an arrangement where, if you _ever_ need me out of your hair, just give me a shout, ok?"

Craig gave a wink which the Doctor returned and Olivia couldn't hide her snicker, knowing what Craig meant, but knowing the Doctor had _no_ idea what Craig meant.

"Why would I want that?" the Doctor asked, making Olivia give out a snicker and she slapped her hand over her mouth to suppress it when the Doctor frowned at her.

"Well, in case you and the Mrs. want some time alone," Craig replied, drawing the Doctor's gaze back to him. "Night in, that sort of thing."

"Oh, I will," the Doctor replied, seeming to understand him but Olivia gave a frown at him. "I'll shout if that happens. Yes. Something like…" He trailed off before shouting, "I was not expecting this!"

Olivia bowed her head in shame before lifting it as he continued, "By the way, that…" He pointed to the stain on the ceiling, advising, "…the rot…I've got the strangest feeling we shouldn't touch it."

The Doctor patted Craig's arm before taking Olivia's hand and heading toward the hallway, leading her toward their room.

"Well, that went well, I think," he grinned, shutting the door behind Olivia as she strolled in. "Now, about this lying you've been doing a lot of…"

"You refused to think of a cover for us, so I had to think of one to make at least _some_ of our life seem _normal_," she retorted, stopping at the foot of the bed and plopping down onto it. "They're half lies, anyway."

"Still…the fact that you did it so easily makes me wonder…have you ever lied to me?" the Doctor mumbled as he stepped in front of her, their gazes meeting.

"Theta," Olivia breathed, standing and cupping his face in her hands, never taking her gaze from his. "Even if I lie to you, you see right through it. There's never been a lie that I've gotten passed you, no matter how hard I try."

He gave a huge grin, making her giggle as he pulled her close to plant a kiss to her lips.

"Time to call Amy," he smiled, tapping the earpiece in his ear.

"Are you saying that's a Bluetooth?" she frowned in wonder as he wrapped his arms around her, over her arms and turning to fall back on the bed, making her give a squeak of surprise before giggling when they landed and bounced on the mattress.

"Earth to Pond, Earth to Pond. Come in, Pond," he called, still holding Olivia as they both now lay on the bed. He suddenly cringed and Olivia heard feedback from the earpiece, making her frown in wonder as she shifted to lay on his chest and he shouted, "Can you not wreck my new earpiece, _Pond_? How's the TARDIS coping?"

Olivia twirled her fingers over his chest and down his torso when he paused, making him take her hand to stop its trail downward and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Ooh, nasty," he murmured, making her frown up at him but she soon realized he was speaking to Amy through the earpiece. "She's locked in a materialization loop, trying to land again, but she can't."

He paused again and looked at the ceiling before replying, "I don't know what it is yet. Anything that can stop the TARDIS from landing is big."

"How big?" Olivia whispered, still looking at him, now with wide eyes as he looked back at her.

"_Scary_ big," he replied, pausing again and replying, "No! I'm not scared! It's just not as simple as going upstairs and sorting it, Pond. I can't go up there until I know what it is and how to deal with it, and it is _vital_ that this man upstairs doesn't realize who and what I am. So no Sonicing." He pointed at Olivia, telling her that applied to her too and she pouted as he continued, "No advanced technology. I can only use this 'cause we're on scramble. To anyone else besides Liv hearing this conversation, we're talking absolute gibberish."

Olivia sat up on the bed with a sigh and the Doctor sat up as well, standing and moving around the room to examine all the things in it.

"All I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong?" the Doctor continued, turning to smile at Olivia as she snorted.

"I hate it when you say that," she muttered, shaking her head.

"So you're _both_ just gonna be snide?" he retorted, picking up a pair of aviators and trying them on. "No helpful hints?"

Olivia couldn't help but giggle as she watched him step toward a mirror and pull the shades down his nose to look over the lenses at her through the glass, giving her a wink as he responded to Amy on the earpiece.

"Bowties are cool," he said after a moment, making Olivia's smile widen, knowing Amy had told him to get rid of the bowtie. He pulled the aviators off, tucked them away into his jacket pocket and went to the bookcase to examine the books. Come on, girls, I'm a _normal_ bloke. Tell me what _normal_ blokes do."

Olivia thought for a moment, trying to remember what Aaron used to do, and knowing Amy was probably listing things for him.

"I could do those things," the Doctor replied, flipping through a book. "I _don't_, but I could."

Crashing from upstairs suddenly made Olivia jump and stare at the ceiling as the Doctor tossed the book he was looking at on the floor and stare up at the ceiling as well, moving to the center of the room.

"Hang on," he said, still looking up. "Wait, wait, wait! Amy?"

"Doctor, what are the clocks doing?" Olivia asked, making him frown at her as she stared at one of the clocks. The arms were spinning out of control.

"Interesting," he replied, looking at his watch as it did the same thing. "Localized time loop. Time distortion. Whatever's happening upstairs is affecting you, Amy." He whirled around to look at Olivia as she looked to the clocks when they resumed their normal function then watched him and after a pause he answered Amy's unheard question, "My end's good."

"Should we be worried?" Olivia wondered.

"No, not really. There's nothing to worry _about_. Amy, just keep the zigzag plotter on full. That'll protect you."

Olivia stared at him suspiciously at his answer as he started pacing while there was a pause.

"Amy, I said the zigzag plotter!" He paused for a moment. "You're standing with the door behind you?" He stopped pacing and after another pause he took two steps to his right, instructing, "Ok, take two steps to your…right and pull it again."

He nodded and stepped toward the bed to sit next to Olivia again, saying, "Now, we must _not_ use the Sonic. I've got work to do. Need to pick up a few items."

He tapped his earpiece, Olivia assuming he hung up on Amy, then he leaned toward her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling, "Sleep tight while I'm out. I'll be back by morning."

"Theta, you're lying about there not being anything to worry about," she murmured, making him sigh as he lifted a hand to her cheek to stroke it with his thumb.

"Yes, I am," he admitted. "Because I don't know what's causing this just yet and I need time to find out and the two of you to remain calm. Can you do that for me?"

"I can try," she murmured, making him smile gratefully and she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Thank you, Liv," he whispered before placing a tender kiss to her lips.

"You're welcome, Theta. How come I wasn't affected by that time loop thing? Shouldn't I _not_ have noticed anything?"

"Ah, well, you're out of your respective time, aren't you? Lots of things don't affect you when you're out of your own time."

Olivia nodded, recalling that was the reason Jack hadn't been affected when the entire human race had been turned into the Master.

"Sorry it's not a better honeymoon…Mrs. Sigma," he smirked.

She giggled then nodded, "Mrs. Sigma…I like it. You just be home in time for breakfast, Mr. Sigma. _I'm_ cooking this time."

"Smashing," he grinned before turning to head out the door, keys in hand.

* * *

**A/N:** oh, i just couldn't resist! reviews?


	36. A Football Match

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 36: A Football Match**_

Olivia couldn't help but smile as she stood in the kitchen fixing up some breakfast of her specially made French toast as she listened to the Doctor singing _La Donna e Mobile_ loudly while he showered. She hummed along with him as she continued, glancing up to see Craig head toward the bathroom, wincing silently because that was the third time she'd seen him head that way. She never had a problem with the lengthy showers the Doctor took…then again she was in there _with_ him most of the time.

"Doctor?" she heard Craig call as he knocked on the door.

"Hello?" the Doctor called back.

"How long are you going to be in there?" Craig wondered.

"Oh, sorry, I like a good soak!" the Doctor replied.

"Don't _I_ know it," she couldn't help but mutter through a smirk as she still cooked.

She jumped with a gasp when loud thumping came from up stairs and stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. She turned to look at the stain on the ceiling in the sitting room and her eyes widened as she realized it was bigger than it had been the day before.

"Doctor!" Olivia called before quickly turning off the flame on the stove and running toward the bathroom door, spatula in hand. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the door leading to the small entryway and stairs leading to the upstairs apartment had been opened. "Doctor!"

"What did you say?" the Doctor called as she ran to the bathroom and burst through the door.

"Doctor! Craig's gone upstairs! What do I do?!"

The shower curtain whipped to the side.

"I'll take care of _it_!" He shouted the last word as he tripped on the edge of the tub trying to step over it, taking the curtain with him and it wrapped around him as he fell to the floor.

"Theta!" Olivia shouted as she knelt next to him. "Are you ok?!"

"Stay here!" he ordered, trying to get up and reaching for something over the sink. "No choice! It's Sonicing time! Towel!"

She stood and grabbed a blue towel from the rack to hand it to the Doctor, something in his hand. He grabbed the towel and tried covering himself as he ran out the door, and though it could have been a dire situation, Olivia couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the Doctor's naked rear heading out the door. She ran after him as he pulled the towel and they both met Craig at the bottom of the stair, the Doctor aiming something at the upstairs door.

"What happened?! What's going on?!" the Doctor demanded and Craig looked to the thing in his hand.

"Is that my toothbrush?" he frowned with an amused smirk and the Doctor lowered the sonic toothbrush and looked at it before looking to Craig.

"Correct," he replied. "You spoke to the man upstairs?"

"Yeah," Craig nodded.

"What did he look like?" the Doctor questioned.

"More normal than _you_ do at the moment, mate," Craig smirked, making Olivia snicker. "What are you doing?"

"We thought you might be in trouble," she explained as the Doctor stared at the upstairs door.

"Thanks," Craig laughed. "Well, if I ever am, you two can come and save me with my toothbrush and a spatula."

When the phone rang, Craig excused himself to head back into the room to answer it as Olivia couldn't help but look at her spatula and snicker. She looked to the Doctor as he cautiously stepped up the stairs.

"Theta! What are you doing?!" she hissed as he stopped only a few steps up, moving his mussed hair out of his face a few times.

She jumped and turned to the door behind her when it opened to reveal a blonde woman bundled up and carrying a newspaper. She jumped as well when she turned to see the Doctor on the stairs and Olivia standing at the bottom, staring wide eyes at her.

"Ooh! Hello!" the girl chirped, shocked as she stared wide eyes at them, and Olivia instantly recognized her, as did the Doctor.

"Aah!" the Doctor called, gripping his towel to keep it from falling as he headed down the stairs, greeting her and introducing himself, "Hello! The Doctor."

"Oh…right," the blonde nodded as he headed toward her.

"You must be Sophie," he nodded, stepping toward her and giving her air kisses to her cheeks before turning to Olivia and pointing at her with the toothbrush, grinning, "This is Olivia. My girl."

"We're newly-weds," Olivia couldn't stop herself from blurting out, then held up the spatula in embarrassment, graciously adding, "I was making French toast…want some?"

"That…would be lovely," Sophie replied hesitantly. "Thanks."

The doctor took one more glance upstairs before heading toward the door leading into the parlor, Olivia and Sophie trailing behind as Craig spoke into the phone.

"No, Dom's in Malta," Craig said. "There's nobody around. Hang on a sec." He stopped the Doctor on his way to his room as Olivia went to the stove and he asked, "We've got a match today, pub league. We're one down if you fancy it."

"Pub league?" the Doctor frowned in wonder. "A drinking competition?"

"Football, darling," Olivia corrected, cooking up French toast for four.

"Football!" the Doctor grinned, glancing at Olivia as she still worked before turning his grin to Craig. "Yes, blokes play football! I'm good at football, I think."

"You've saved my life!" Craig grinned back before speaking into the phone again. "I've got somebody. Yeah, alright, see you down there." He hung up and greeted, "Hey, Soph."

"Hey, thought I'd come early and meet your new flatmates," Sophie replied as Olivia handed the Doctor a plate of French toast.

"Do you play, Sophie?" the Doctor asked, setting his plate down on the counter to start eating as they laughed in amusement.

"No," Craig chuckled. "Soph just stands on the sidelines. She's my mascot."

The sound of silverware on the counter sounded as Olivia bit her lower lip, collecting the fork and knife and not believing Craig had just said that.

"I'm your mascot?" Sophie frowned at him. "_Mascot_?"

"Well, you're not my mascot," Craig recanted, backpedaling. "It's a _football_ match. I can't take a date."

"I didn't say I _was_ your date."

"Neither did I."

"French toast!" Olivia cheered, lifting the plates and handing them a plate each. "Don't know what you like on your toast, so prepare as you like it. Doctor, why don't we have our breakfast in our room? You need to get dressed anyway."

"Right," he nodded with a smile at Olivia and he handed Craig's toothbrush back to him before heading toward his room, Olivia trailing behind him with their plates.

"Oh, uh, the spare kit's just in the bottom drawer," Craig called after them.

"Ok, we'll find it!" Olivia grinned back, making sure the door was mostly closed and explained, "It's…a real mess in here."

She nodded with a grin and hurried inside, hiding the room and sighed before giving a mild stare to the Doctor as he opened the bottom drawer of the dresser.

"You couldn't have come straight in here for _clothes_ instead of walking around in nothing but that towel?" she muttered, setting the plates on the dresser as she stepped next to him. "I could tell she was taking that towel off your hips with her eyes."

"Wait a minute…" he murmured, then trailed off as he marched back to the door, making her frown at him and follow him as he opened the door a crack to speak.

"You unlocked the door," he told Sohpie as Olivia felt anger boil her blood at the fact that he was still in nothing but a towel. "How did you do that? Those are _your_ keys. You must have left them last time you came here."

"Yeah, but…" Sophie sputtered before looking to Craig holding the fuzzy pink keychain with her keys on them and asked the Doctor, "How do you know these are my keys?"

"I've been holding them," Craig admitted, looking embarrassed.

"I _have_ got another set," Sophie answered the Doctor, and that intrigued Olivia making her push past the Doctor.

"You've got two sets of keys to somebody else's place?" she frowned in wonder.

"Yeah," Sophie replied in uncertainty.

"I see," Olivia nodded with a smirk, her anger forgotten as she turned to head back into the room.

"You must like it here, too," the Doctor smirked before shutting the door and heading toward his dresser again, finishing off his French toast as Olivia started on hers.

"I guess breakfast was good?" she wondered, knowingly with a smile.

He nodded hugely, chewing on the last piece and making her giggle before he dropped his towel to start changing. She swallowed her own mouthful of food before biting her lip, somehow holding herself back from jumping him as she turned back to her food. He tapped the earpiece still in his ear.

"Amy? You there?" he asked as he pulled the shorts on…going commando beneath them. Olivia took in a breath, making herself choke and cough and he whirled around to look at her but she waved it off, still coughing. He turned and grabbed the jersey from the drawer as well before speaking again.

"So, I'm going out," he explained to Amy on the earpiece as he pulled the jersey on with the number on his chest. "If I hang about the house all the time, him upstairs might get suspicious…notice me."

Olivia smirked as she set her plate aside and stepped toward him to pull the jersey as he frowned at her and she whispered, "It's backwards."

"Yeah, football," he replied, allowing Olivia to pull the jersey off over his head again, only breaking eye contact with her when the shirt got in the way as she pulled it back on correctly. "All outdoorsy. Now…football's the one with the sticks, isn't it?"

"I got it, Amy," Olivia assured her, leaning close enough to the Doctor's face to make sure she heard her before moving back to look at the Doctor, her hands resting over each of his hearts and feeling their pace quicken beneath her palms. "Football here is soccer in America."

"Right," he nodded, slowly and she smirked when she saw the heat in his eyes. "Amy, I'll call you after the match."

The Doctor tapped the ear piece to hang it up before lifting his hands to Olivia's face and pulling her toward him to press his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss as his tongue instantly parted hers, making her give a giggle before he pulled away with a smack. She frowned in wonder at the short kiss, her hands slipping to his shoulders.

"It makes it very hard to kiss you properly when you giggle like that, Liv," he explained, making her smile.

"Sorry," she whispered, her arms sliding around his neck. "I missed you last night."

"Wait till we get to the TARDIS," he requested. "I promise when we get back I'll make it up to you."

She bit her lip and nodded before pressing a kiss to his cheek and sighing, "We'd better get out there so you can play some football."

* * *

_At the Park..._

"What are you _actually_ called?" Craig asked the Doctor as they, Sophie and Olivia went down the trail, the boys in their football uniforms and the Doctor playing with the ball. "What's your _proper_ name?"

"Just call me the Doctor," he replied.

"Yeah," Sophie shrugged, but Olivia could see Craig's point and couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't chosen on his usual cover name, John Smith.

"I can't go up to these guys and go, 'Hey, this is my new flatmate. He's called the Doctor.'"

"Why not?" the Doctor wondered.

"Because it's weird," Olivia blurted, making him turn a frown at her.

"Thanks, Olivia," Craig grinned. "You get it right? I mean, when you met, did he introduce himself as the Doctor?"

"He did, but I didn't really have time to address it," she replied and vaguely added, "I was a little busy."

"Alright," an unfamiliar voice called as they came upon a group dressed for football. "Craig."

"Hey!" Craig called through a grin to the black man that had greeted them.

"Hello, I'm Craig's new flatmate," the Doctor greeted, shaking his hand and air kissing his cheeks, making Olivia bow her head and shake it. "I'm called the Doctor. This is my wife, Olivia. Say 'hello,' Liv."

"Hi," Olivia smiled, giving a wave to him as the Doctor came up next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she shook his hand.

"Alright, Doctor," he nodded. "Olivia. I'm Sean. So where are you strongest?"

"Arms," the Doctor replied without hesitation, making Olivia drop her head again, this time slapping her hand to her face as Craig and Sean frowned at him in wonder.

"No, he means what position on the field?" Craig explained.

"Not sure," the Doctor replied, still holding the ball. "The front? The side? Below?"

"You any good, though?" Sean wondered.

"Let's find out," the Doctor replied, dropping the ball and kicking it in front of him as he ran onto the field.

"Come on," Sophie chirped to Olivia, drawing her attention. "We cheerleaders wait on the sidelines over here."

"Oh, yeah," Olivia smiled and followed Sophie toward the area where the bystanders watched the game.

"So how did you meet him? The Doctor?" Sophie asked Olivia, making the dark-haired woman look to her with wide eyes.

"Oh, um…" Olivia trailed off in thought for a moment, looking to her feet for a split second, stalling to come up with a lie. "I was a…party planner at the time. He was…a driver for the guest of honor's birthday party. We got pretty close when things got hairy that night. We've been working together every since."

"Oh, that's a bit like me and Craig," Sophie smiled as they stopped in the crowd waiting for the game to start. "We met at work, too."

"That's what Craig had said," Olivia smiled, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.

"So you're on your honeymoon?" Sophie asked, making Olivia sigh, inwardly. "Craig said you were newly-weds."

"Just got back, actually," Olivia replied. "We had our honeymoon in…Paris."

"Oh, lovely!" Sophie grinned. "That is romantic."

"Yeah, it was," Olivia smiled back, but her heart clenched at having to lie. It hadn't been a honeymoon at all. Not even close. She was thankful when the whistle blew to start the match and watched as the Doctor surprised everyone by playing _extremely_ well. She couldn't help but smile, "Leave it to him to be _this_ good on the first try."

* * *

_After the Game..._

The group stood at a park bench, the Doctor with his arm slung over Olivia's shoulders, celebrating the win thanks to the Doctor's newfound football skills.

"You are _so_ on the team," Sean told the Doctor as he passed out cans of beers for everyone. "Next week, we've got the Crown and Anchor. We're gonna _annihilate_ them!"

"Annhilate?" the Doctor echoed, stepping closer to Sean as Olivia realized with a bow of her head that he thought he meant some sort of violence as he spoke again. "No. No violence. Do you understand me? Not while _I'm_ around. Not today, not ever. I'm the Doctor. The Oncoming Storm…and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Sean replied, warily.

"Lovely," the Doctor smirked. "What sort of time?"

The hiss of a can being opened sounded and Craig shouted when the foam spat at him, making everyone turn and laugh at him…but then it happened again…and again…and again. Olivia frowned around at the looping scene around her, as did the Doctor before they looked to each other. He took her hand and tapped the earpiece in his ear as he stepped away from the looping group.

"Amy?" he called into the earpiece. "Amy."

Olivia stepped close to the Doctor, placing her ear next to his with the earpiece to hear what Amy was saying this time.

"_It's happening again_," Amy explained. "_Worse_."

"What does the scanner say?" he asked, wrapping his arm around Olivia to pull her closer so she could hear a little better.

"_A lot of nines_," Amy replied. "_Is it good that they're nines? Tell me it's good that they're all nines!_"

The Doctor's eyes shifted before he sputtered, "Yes, yes, it's…it's good! Uh, Zagzag Plotter. Zigzag Plotter, Amy."

Olivia looked to the Doctor when they both heard Amy scream and she swallowed at the look on his face.

"Amy?" he murmured. "Are you there? Amy?"

Olivia pressed her ear to his again as she felt his hold on her arm tighten.

"_Y-Yes_," they heard Amy pant. "_Hello_."

"Oh, thank heavens," he sighed in relief. "I thought for a moment the TARDIS had been flung off into the vortex with you inside it. Lost forever."

"That can happen?" Olivia questioned, loud enough for Amy to hear her through the earpiece.

"_You have __got__ to get me out of here!_" Amy ground out.

"How are the numbers?" the Doctor asked.

"_All fives_," Amy replied.

"Fives?" he echoed, and Olivia looked to the group now functioning normally as if nothing happened. She looked to the Doctor and nodded, making him nod back, saying, "Even better. Still, it means the effect's almost _unbelievably_ powerful and dangerous, but don't worry. Hang on, ok? I've got some rewiring to do."

He tapped the earpiece to hang it up and Olivia sighed, making him look to her with a frown.

"Nines are bad," Olivia sighed. "You lied to her again. She's gonna find out, and she's _not_ gonna be happy."

"Cross that bridge when we come to it," he replied, placing his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Calm, remember? Trust me?"

"Yes, but—"

"No," he cut in. "Just yes. No buts."

She sighed and nodded in defeat, making him smile and kiss her forehead before turning to head back toward the group, still chatting and laughing.

* * *

_Craig's Place..._

"Liv—!"

The rattling of the Doctor's project behind her as she pinned him against the wall filled the room while her lips planted themselves to his to cut off his objection before she pulled away with a smack. She giggled, bowing her head to his chest as she continued giggling and snickering and the Doctor rolled his eyes, taking her shoulders and pushing her back enough to look into her eyes.

"You have had far too much to drink, Olivia Felton," he scolded, shuffling her toward the bed. "I never should've let them give you beer. Lie down and sleep it off."

"Why don't you _help_ me?" she giggled, taking his hand in hers to try pulling him onto the bed with her when she fell back, but he managed to stay on his feet as a knock came from the door.

"I've got work to do, Liv," he replied, pulling his hand from hers and picking up the traffic cone next to the bed before stepping toward the door. He opened it just enough to lean slightly on the doorframe and smiled at Craig, "Hello, flatmate."

"Hey, man," Craig replied. "Um, listen, uh, Sophie's coming 'round tonight, and I was wondering if you could give us some space."

"Oh, don't mind us," the Doctor smiled, seemingly understanding. "You won't even know we're here."

A loud sound came from upstairs, making Olivia jump and gasp on the bed before she giggled at her own reaction as the Doctor and Craig looked up at the ceiling, and the Doctor muttered, "That's the idea."

The Doctor shut the door and maneuvered something on the project in the middle of the room, making it clank around and he grinned, "Yes! Perfect! What a beauty."

"Why thank you, Doctor," Olivia smiled, striking a pose on the bed before giggling and flopping over the mattress again.

"Olivia, I have to get this scanner working, so if you don't mind, sleep it off, why don't you?" the Doctor muttered, not stopping his work. He frowned and paused when there was no reply and looked toward Olivia to see her passed out on the bed. "Well…that was easy."

He picked up the screwdriver and examined, it muttering, "How do you turn this on?"

He looked back at Olivia and sighed, "Why did you have to get so _drunk_ now, of all times, eh?"

Olivia turned over in her sleep so that she was lying on her side, facing him with her hands tucked under her chin, her knees curled into her chest. The Doctor couldn't help but smile as he stepped toward her, setting the screwdriver down before wrapping his arms around her to position her head on the pillows and pull the blankets over her. She gave a small noise and stirred slightly but didn't wake as he smoothed her hair from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep tight, sweet Liv," he whispered before standing and lifting the screwdriver again to examine it. "Wonder if Craig knows how to turn this on."

* * *

_Later that night..._

"Right!" the Doctor called, running around the contraption on the frame of the bed, the mattress having been removed and Olivia standing in a corner, her head in her hands. "Shield's up! Let's scan!"

"Do you have to be so loud?" Olivia groaned, rubbing her eyes and the Doctor stepped in front of her. "And I can't believe you disrupted Craig and Sophie's date just so you could ask him how the screwdriver worked."

"They weren't on a _date_," he argued, making her wince at his tone. "They let me stay!"

"To be polite! If I hadn't been drunk I would've stopped you."

"That's what happens when you drink too much, Liv," he murmured before holding up a hand to reveal a pill in his palm. "Good thing I have a pocketful of these."

Olivia snatched it from his hand, knowing it was one of his magic headache pills and downed it as he moved the contraption on the bed to scan the upstairs. She had to admit, even with her head throbbing, the Doctor looked good with no jacket, his sleeves rolled up just below his elbows and his suspenders hanging from his trousers.

"_What are you getting?_" Amy asked from the earpiece which he'd now put on speaker.

"Liv, give me the readings, please," he requested, and Olivia went to the other contraption to give him the readings.

"No traces of high technology," she replied. "Says everything's normal."

"No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor replied, looking to the thing himself. "It _can't_ be. It's _too_ normal!"

"_Only for you could too normal be a problem_," Amy retorted. "_You said I could be lost forever. Just go upstairs._"

"Without knowing, and I get myself killed?" the Doctor replied, moving around the thing again. "Then you _really are_ lost. If I could just get a look in there…hold on."

Olivia frowned at him in wonder as he stopped his huge scanner from spinning, but said nothing as he gave instructions to Amy.

"Use the data bank, give me the plans of this building," he told Amy. "I want to know its history, the layout, everything. Meanwhile, I shall recruit a spy."

"Are we gonna have a bed back soon?" Olivia sighed, going back to her corner and the Doctor whirled around to frown at her before nodding.

"Ah…no, sorry," he replied, making Olivia sigh again as he stepped back to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm really, _really_ sorry, Liv. I promise, I'll make this up to you. I'm already planning something once we get out of this, so please, hold out for me, darling?"

Olivia could only nod before he smiled and pulled her close by the face to press a tender kiss to her lips.

"Here, I'll get you a pillow and a blanket and you can sleep on the mattress," he said. "It's only right there next to the bed. I'll join you in a bit, eh?"

She nodded again as he grabbed a pillow and the duvet that had been on the mattress and tossed them onto it while Olivia stepped toward it. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before she plopped herself onto the mattress and laid down, pulling the duvet over herself. She couldn't sleep completely until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, making her smile as she turned into the body attached to them and sighed in contentment as she listened to the double beats of his hearts against her cheek.

* * *

**A/N:** apparently, poor Liv can't hold her liquer. reviews?


	37. An Upstairs

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 37: An Upstairs**_

"Craig!" the Doctor called, holding a tray of breakfast, Olivia standing next to him as they stood at Craig's door and she knocked as he called, "Breakfast! It's normal."

"You don't _say_ it's normal," Olivia whispered.

"Something's wrong," the Doctor blurted, making her frown at him as they turned to the door and he called, "Craig?" When he still got no answer he ordered, "Open the door, Liv."

"It's locked," she replied, trying the door.

"Use the Sonic."

"You told me _not_ to!"

"_Use_ the Sonic, Olivia!"

Olivia instantly pulled her Sonic Screwdriver from her jacket and aimed it at the lock. The Doctor shoved through the door, the tray still in his hands as they entered the room and looked to the bed where Craig still lay. He handed the tray over to Olivia, rushing toward Craig who didn't move.

"I _told_ you not to touch it!" he snapped, rolling Craig onto his back to examine his right arm where a dark line followed his vein. "Look, what's that? Hm. It's an unfamiliar and pretty obviously _poisonous_ substance! 'Oh, I know what would be really clever…I'll stick my hand in it!'"

Olivia watched with wide eyes from the foot of Craig's bed, still holding the tray as the Doctor used both fists to pound on Craig's chest once, making the unconscious man gasp for air, the Doctor shouting, "Come on, Craig! Breathe! Them's are healthy footballer's lungs!"

"Doctor, what do you need?!" Olivia questioned as he ran toward her, quickly looking over the tray in her hands.

"Reverse the enzyme decay. Excite the tannin molecules," he muttered, grabbing the teapot and looking up at her as she frowned at him. "Stay with him. I'll be back."

She gave a frown and opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing but he was hurrying around her and heading for the kitchen in a flash. She sighed, rolling her eyes before rushing toward Craig's bedside, setting the tray down on the bedside table and sitting on the mattress to make sure he was breathing. A moment later she heard the Doctor hurry into the room again and he gently pushed her back, making her scoot back on the mattress as the Doctor sat where she had been, the tea pot in his hands.

"Liv, tilt his head back," the Doctor ordered her and she stood to hurry around to the other side of the bed and adjust the pillows so that Craig was sitting up, allowing the Doctor to serve him the liquid straight from the teapot.

"I've gotta go to work," Craig insisted after he regained a bit more consciousness.

"On no account," the Doctor argued gently. "You need rest. One more."

He served Craig another swig from the teapot and he swallowed before explaining, "It's a planning meeting. It's _important_."

"_You're_ important," the Doctor replied, and a moment later Craig's eyes were closed as he instantly fell asleep. "You're going to be fine, Craig."

"Theta, what's wrong with him?" Olivia whispered, drawing his attention to her as he gathered the teapot and tray, heading toward the door.

"He was poisoned," he replied, casually as he passed her. "He'll be fine now. He needs to rest. I need you to watch over him. Make sure he keeps breathing. He should be fine while he sleeps, but check on him just in case."

"Where are _you_ going?" she questioned, following him through the parlor as he rummaged through the kitchen.

"I'm going to take Craig's place at the communications office," he replied casually, not looking at her as she stared at him with wide eyes. "He can't make it, so I'll take his place. Also, I need someone to investigate upstairs."

"_I_ can do that."

"No, you have to watch Craig, I told you."

"Why don't _you_ stay with Craig and _I'll_ go to work for him?"

The Doctor stopped and turned to her with a frown, wondering, "Why?"

"Because…you don't know how to act in the workplace. People will think you're nuts!"

"They do already," he replied, stepping toward her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You'll be fine. Just stay in, don't touch that stain up there, don't go upstairs, and ignore any cats that might come through here."

"Cats?" she frowned in absolute confusion but the Doctor was already heading back toward Craig's room and came out again a moment later before heading toward the door, keys in hand. She ran after him, calling, "Wait! What do I tell Craig when he wakes up?"

The Doctor stopped before he walked out the very front door and turned to her.

"Just tell him…everything's taken care of," he shrugged. "Just try to keep him in bed. He needs rest."

Olivia sighed and nodded in defeat, stepping toward him to press a kiss to his cheek, making him smile.

"For luck?" he guessed.

"I suppose," she shrugged, making him frown at her.

"Oi," he called gently, taking her hand in his and tugging her back toward him when she tried to step away. She met his gaze as he murmured, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she sighed again. "I'm tired and… We can talk about it later, ok? I'll take care of Craig. What was that tea you made so I can make more for him later?"

"Don't worry about that," he smiled back. "Just let him sleep. He won't wake up for a while." He lifted her hand as he still held it, his gaze never leaving hers as he kissed her hand. "Love you, sweet Liv. I'll be back."

* * *

_Afternoon..._

Olivia sighed as she looked to the clock next to Craig's bedside table as she checked in on him.

2:45 pm

"What?!" Craig shouted, making her jump when she looked to him. He was now wide awake and clambering out of the bed. "Why didn't you wake me?!"

"The Doctor told me not to," she replied, watching him for a moment. "Craig, everything's taken care of. You just need to rest!"

"Get out!" Craig shouted, making her run out of the room and head toward the parlor with a sigh of exhaustion.

"I'm gonna _kill_ that idiot when he gets back," she grumbled, pacing in the kitchen before she stopped and began twirling her ring on her middle finger, nervously. She looked up to the door when she saw Craig run in, looking for his things, dressed and ready to head out. "Craig, you should really get back in bed. The Doctor—"

"He might have cost me my _job_!" Craig snapped, rushing toward the door without another word.

She growled loudly as she resumed her pacing. A million things were going through her mind as she paced, angrily around the parlor. Why couldn't the Doctor have stayed here? Why couldn't she be as persuasive as _he_ was to make Craig stay? She wished he hadn't gone. She wished she was back on the TARDIS with Amy. She wished _Rory_ was still there for Amy.

There was one last thing always nagging at the back of her mind, but she refused to bring it up now, not when something _else_ much deadlier was nagging at her. She had a bad feeling, at it wasn't going away, but she couldn't think about that yet.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been pacing before she heard the door and stopped to look to the door and find Craig marching toward her.

"Let me in your room," he ordered, making her eyes shoot wide in panic.

"I…I, um…" Olivia sputtered. "I don't think that's a good idea, Craig."

"Let me in there, or I'll get the spare key I have for the room and go in there myself," he threatened, and she was at a loss for words, unable to move her feet or think of what to do.

"I can't," she finally replied.

She watched in horror as Craig went to a drawer in the chest of drawers next to the door and rummaged through it, sending her into action. She ran to the door to hers and the Doctor's room to stand in front of it just as Craig marched toward it, effectively blocking his way.

"Craig, come on," she pleaded, unmoving as he stopped in front of her. "We have to have our privacy, don't we?"

"What are you hiding?" Craig demanded.

"Privacy!" Olivia repeated as if it were a safe word. "Privacy! Privacy! Priva_cy_!"

She squeaked out the last syllable of the last word as Craig shoved her out of the way to open the door and look inside at the scanner, still going.

"What the hell?" he breathed before turning to Olivia as she stood in the doorway with a pained look on her face at having failed in keeping the secret. "What the bloody hell is _that_?!"

"Craig," she sighed, bowing her head into one of her hands to rub her temples. "It's a lot to explain. I'm sorry. I wish I could explain it but he's better at it than I am."

"Well," Craig chirped, making her look up at him with wide eyes, "We'll just have to wait for him then."

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia tapped her foot impatiently as she stood next to the door, leaning back on it as she waited for the Doctor to return and frowned when she noticed a cat slowly heading down the stairs. The door opening made her jump and look to the Doctor as he stepped in.

"Theta, I have to talk to you."

"One moment, Liv," the Doctor told her, making her frown at him incredulously as he stepped toward the cat still heading down the stairs and he asked it, "Have you been upstairs?"

"Oh, you're _kidding_ me," Olivia muttered as the cat gave a sound and the Doctor looked to her to place a finger over his lips, telling her to be silent but he took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

"Yes?" he answered the cat as he sat down on the stairs with Olivia beside him, still holding her hand as the cat gave a throaty meow. "You can do it. Show me what's up there. What's behind that door? Try to show me. Oh, that doesn't make sense. Ever see anyone go up there? Lots of people go up there? Good, good. What _kind_ of people?"

Olivia couldn't help but smile as the Doctor stroked the cat's fur as it gave another cat sound.

"People who _never_ came back down? Oh, that's bad. That's _very_ bad," the Doctor replied, and the cat meowed once more before the door next to the stairs opened to reveal a very displeased Craig, drawing the Doctor's and Olivia's attention to him. "Oh, hello."

"I can't take this anymore," Craig blurted. "I want you to go."

They watched Craig turn to head deeper into the room as the Doctor stood, looking to Olivia and asking, "Was _that_ what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah," she sighed before they both went back down the stairs and marched after Craig as he lifted the paper bag they'd brought the rent in.

"You can have this back, an' all," Craig said shortly, and the Doctor grabbed the bag, glancing at it before looking back at Craig and tossing it over his shoulder.

"What have I done?!" he asked in a high pitched tone.

"For a start, talking to a cat!" Craig snapped.

"Lots of people talk to cats!" the Doctor argued.

"And everybody loves you, and you're better at football than me, _and_ my job, and now Sophie's all, 'Oh, monkeys, monkeys!' and then…" Craig marched toward the door of Olivia's and the Doctor's room to shove it open, and point inside, shouting, "…there's _that_!"

"Olivia!" the Doctor scolded, glancing at her as he ran toward Craig, making her frown at him incredulously.

"He had a _key_!" she snapped back, marching after him. "What was I supposed to do?! Bash him over the head with a frying pan?!"

"It's art!" the Doctor lied to Craig as he swept into the room to stop the scanner from spinning. "A statement on modern society: 'Ooh, ain't modern society awful?'"

"Me and you two, it's not gonna work out," Craig insisted. "You've only been here _three_ days. They've been the three weirdest three days of my _life_!"

"Your days will get much weirder if we _go_," the Doctor replied, calmly.

"I thought it was _good_ weird," Craig continued, getting hysterical. "It's not, it's _bad_ weird. I can't do this anymore!"

"Craig, I can't leave this place," the Doctor insisted. "I'm like you, I can't see the point of anywhere else. Madrid? Ha! What a dump! I _have_ to stay!"

"No, you don't!" Craig argued. "You have to _leave_!"

"I _can't_ go!"

"Just get _out_!"

"Oh, my god, just _tell him_!" Olivia shouted at the Doctor as Craig grabbed his jacket, ready to get physical.

"Right!" the Doctor replied, gripping Craig's jacket in turn. "Only way. Craig, I'm gonna show you something, but, shh, _really_, shh! Oh, I'm gonna regret this. Ok, right, first, general background."

Olivia screamed, her hands flying to her mouth and her eyes shooting wide when the Doctor head-butted Craig, hard, making them both shout in pain and stumble backward. A moment later Craig gave a long gasp and pointed at the Doctor, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide, making Olivia frown.

"You're a…!"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, holding his head.

"From…" Craig pointed up and the Doctor tried to shush him but he continued, "You've got a TARDIS!"

"Shh! Yes! Shh!" the Doctor hissed before pointing to his face, explaining, "Eleventh."

"Doctor, what are you doing?!" Olivia snapped, noticing him grip the lapels of Craig's jacket again.

"Not now, Liv!" the Doctor nearly barked. "Right, ok. Specific detail."

Olivia's hands flew to her mouth again when the Doctor head-butted Craig once more and when they came apart, Craig stared at him and pointed at him again.

"You saw my ad in the paper shop window!" he stated as Olivia hurried toward the Doctor to look him over as he picked up something from the dresser next to him.

"Yes, with _this_ right above it," the Doctor explained, holding the paper up with the address on it. "Which is odd, because Amy hasn't written it yet. Time travel. It _can_ happen."

"That's a scanner!" Craig realized, pointing to the thing in the room. "You've used non-technological technology of Lammasteen!"

The Doctor placed a firm hand over Craig's mouth and shouted, "Shut up!"

"Theta! Get off him!" Olivia ordered, pulling the two apart before shooting her glare at Craig, ordering, "And _you_ need to shut up like he said!"

She turned to the Doctor as he sat on the frame of the bed, rubbing his head and she moved his hand to look him over again.

"I am never, never doing that ever, ever again," he panted, looking up at her. "Thank the universe for our Psychic Rings, Liv." He tapped his earpiece and called, "Amy?"

"That's Amy Pond!" Craig stated in disbelief before slapping his hand over his mouth.

"Oh, of course, you can understand us now," the Doctor observed. "Hurrah. Got those plans yet?"

"_Still searching for them_," Amy replied as Olivia leaned on the dresser, watching them all.

"I've worked it out with psychic help from a cat," the Doctor explained.

"_Cat?_" Amy questioned.

"Cat," Olivia nodded in realization.

"Yes, I know," the Doctor smirked up at her. "He's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's using innocent people to try and launch it. Whenever he does they get burnt up, hence the stain on your—"

"From the ceiling!" Craig realized.

"Yes, Craig, now calm yourself, _please_," Olivia urged, gently.

"And _you_, Miss Pond, nearly get thrown off into the Vortex," the Doctor continued.

"_Lovely_," Amy muttered.

A loud bang and crash came from upstairs, making them all shoot their gazes to the ceiling as Olivia gave a gasp.

"People are dying up there!" Craig realized…then continued realizing it in a continuous loop, making the Doctor and Olivia turn to him with wide eyes.

"Doctor…"

"Amy…"

They both heard Amy scream as she was thrown around in the TARDIS, the Time Loop stopping and Craig continued, "They're being _killed_!"

"Someone's upstairs!" Olivia realized, shooting out the door and heading for the stairs, the two men behind her.

"_Doctor! Hang on!_" they heard Amy call as they all ran up the stairs, but Craig stopped after the first couple of steps.

"Craig!" the Doctor called, turning back to him. "Come on! Someone's dying up there!"

They all looked to the open door at the bottom of the stairs to see the familiar keys hanging from the lock before the Doctor and Olivia shot up the stairs.

"Sophie," Craig breathed before turning to run up the stairs as well. "It's Sophie that's dying up there! It's Sophie!"

"Wait, wait!" the Doctor urged as they all reached the top. "Amy?"

"_Are you upstairs?_" Amy questioned.

"Just going in," he replied.

"_No, but you __can't__ be upstairs_."

"Of course I can be upstairs."

"_No! I've got the plans. You cannot be upstairs. It's a one-story building. There __is no__ upstairs!_"

They all looked to the stairs they were standing at the top of before the Doctor used the Sonic to open the door and they all marched through, staring huge eyes inside. There was a huge machine inside the huge room, and it looked like the end of a spaceship with a console below it.

"What?" Craig chirped. "_What_?"

"Oh," the Doctor breathed as they stepped deeper into the room. "Oh, of _course_. The Time Engine isn't _in_ the flat. The Time Engine _is_ the flat! Someone's attempt to build a TARDIS."

"No, there's _always_ been an upstairs!" Craig argued as Olivia looked behind them to see the door they'd just come through flickering like a hologram.

"Has there?" the Doctor wondered. "Think about it."

"Yes!" Craig insisted before sputtering, "No. I don't—!"

"Perception filter," Olivia realized. "I _knew_ there was something weird about all this. You know, other than the…obvious."

"It's _more_ than a disguise," the Doctor agreed. "It tricks your memory."

A blood curding scream sounded, making them all stare ahead and past the console to see Sophie being pulled by her hand by tendrils of light toward the console.

"Sophie!" Craig shouted as the three ran toward her. "Oh, my god! Sophie!"

"Craig!" Sophie called desperately, still being pulled toward the console.

"It's controlling her!" the Doctor explained as Craig and Olivia grabbed Sophie to pull her away from the dome piece on the console. "It's willing her to touch the activator!"

"It's not going to have her!" Craig strained under pulling Sophie back.

The Doctor pulled out the Sonic and tried to use it, but Sophie's hand was pulled onto the activator, making all of them shout in panic, Sophie in pain.

"Deadlock seal!" the Doctor growled.

"You've gotta do something!" Craig shouted at the Doctor.

Sophie was suddenly released, making them all stumble back and Craig hovered over Sophie as Olivia and the Doctor looked to the console with a frown each.

"What?" the Doctor questioned. "Why's it let her go?"

Olivia frowned in wonder as the Doctor paced to the end of the platform before a hologram of an old man popped up next to the Doctor.

"You will help me," the hologram said.

"Right! Stop!" the Doctor chirped. "Crashed ship, let's see. Hello! I'm Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue. Please state the nature of your emergency."

"The ship has crashed," the hologram replied. "The crew are dead. A pilot is required."

"You're the emergency crash program," the Doctor observed. "A hologram. What? You've been _luring_ people up here so you can try them out?"

He aimed the Sonic at the hologram and different images came up to fool people, all saying, "You will help me."

"Craig, what is this?" Sophie asked him, both now standing as she looked around. "Where am I?"

"Hush," Olivia nearly snapped before heading toward the Doctor as he spoke.

"The human brains aren't strong enough, though," the Doctor continued as Olivia stepped next to him. "They just burn up. But you're _stupid_, aren't you? You just keep _trying_."

"Seventeen people have been tried," the hologram explained. "Six billion four hundred and twenty-six remain."

"Seriously, _what_ is going on?" Sophie questioned.

"The top floor of Craig's building is really an alien spaceship intent on killing the population of the planet," Olivia replied. "Any questions?"

"No, good," the Doctor retorted.

"Yes, I have questions!" Sophie argued.

"The correct pilots have now been found," the hologram reported.

"Yes, I was a bit worried that you were gonna say that," the Doctor muttered.

"Wait…pilot_s_?" Olivia frowned up at him. "Plural?"

"_He means __you__ Doctor, doesn't he?_" Amy questioned from the earpiece.

"But he said it plural!" Olivia snapped before the tendrils of light grabbed hold of the Doctor by the chest, making him slowly march toward one of the activators and they also grabbed hold of Olivia's hand to drag her toward the other one as she screamed, "_Why me_?!"

"Because your brain is nearly on equal ground with mine!" the Doctor strained, struggling against the control of the machine as she did as well.

"I'm not a Time Lord!" Olivia screamed, digging her heels into the floor, trying to stop herself.

"I said _nearly_!" the Doctor snapped back.

"_What's happening?!_" Amy questioned from the earpiece.

"It's pulling us in!" the Doctor explained, grabbing hold of something to try keeping himself away from the activator. "We're the new pilots!"

"_Could you do it?!_" Amy asked. "_Could you fly the ship __safely__?_"

"No," the Doctor replied, his hand reaching for the activator as Olivia was pulled closer and closer to the same activator as well. "I'm way too much for this ship, and put Liv on top of that…if our hands touch that panel, the planet doesn't blow up, the whole _solar_ _system_ does!"

"The correct pilots have been found," the hologram continued.

"No! Worst choices ever! I promise you! Stop this!" the Doctor insisted and when Olivia was right next to him he pushed her away, making her glare at him before she shoved him away when she was pulled back. It was what he wanted. Shove each other hard enough and maybe they could break the control.

"It doesn't want everyone!" Olivia realized. "It didn't want Craig!"

"I spoke to him and he said I couldn't help him!" Craig replied.

"It didn't want Sophie before today, but now it does," the Doctor recalled. "Why? What's changed?"

Olivia screamed, feeling the control of the machine pull her closer and closer as the Doctor's hand hovered over the dome as well.

"I gave her the idea of leaving!" the Doctor explained, straining against the machine. "It's a machine that _needs to leave_! It wants people who want to escape, but _you_ don't want to leave, Craig. You're Mr. Sofa Man!"

"Craig, you can shut it down!" Olivia shouted, still struggling. "Put your hand on it and concentrate on why you _want_ to stay!"

"Craig, no!" Sophie screamed, shaking her head, panic over her face.

"Will it work?" Craig questioned.

"Yes!" the Doctor replied.

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes!"

"Is that a lie?!"

"Of course it's a lie!"

"It's good enough for me! Geronimo!"

Craig slammed his hand down on the activator on his side and screamed in pain as the one pulling the Doctor and Olivia toward it let them go. They both stumbled back from the sudden slack before they both ran toward Craig.

"Craig, what's keeping you here?!" the Doctor questioned him as Olivia stepped toward Sophie to hold her back. "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here! Why don't you want to leave?!"

He slapped Craig in the face, making him yell, "Sophie! I don't want to leave Sophie! I _can't_ leave Sophie! I _love_ Sophie!"

Sophie gasped before marching toward him, out of Olivia's hands and she stepped in front of Craig to say, "I love you, too, Craig, you idiot!"

She slammed her hand down over Craig's, making the machine smoke and spark and shake as the Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand to pull her back and protect her from it.

"Honestly, do you mean that?" Craig wondered to Sophie.

"Of course I mean it! Do _you_ mean it?"

"I've _always_ meant it. Seriously, though. Do you mean it?"

"Yes."

"What about the monkeys?"

"Oh, not now, not again!" the Doctor shouted over the commotion. "Craig, the planet's about to burn! For god's sake, _kiss the girl_!"

Olivia grinned as Craig kissed Sophie, their hands falling from the panel and they heard Amy say, "_Doctor. You've done it! Now the screens just zeros. Big yes!_"

"Help me," the hologram suddenly started chanting in various voices.

"Big no," the Doctor replied.

"Did we switch it off?" Craig wondered, coming out of his kiss with Sophie.

"Emergency shutdown," the Doctor replied. "It's imploding. Everybody out!"

Craig and Sophie ran around the console and out the door as the Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and dragged her after them, all of them running down the stairs while the house shook around them. They ran out the door and into the street just in time to see the top floor of the building disappear to reveal the ship they'd been in. They watched it disappear before looking around the street at the people oblivious to what had just happened.

"Didn't anybody see that?" Craig wondered. "The whole top floor just _vanished_!"

"Perception filter," Olivia explained. "There never _was_ a top floor."

* * *

**A/N:** I have so much fun writing this one. reviews?


	38. A Short Holiday

**A/N:** chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 38: A Short Holiday**_

"Aren't we gonna say goodbye?" Olivia whispered to the Doctor as she helped him make the bed, leaving the room as they had found it.

"When do I ever say goodbye, Liv?" he wondered and she rolled her eyes as they fluffed the pillows in sync before she hurried around the bed to step next to him.

"But this was different," she insisted. "Craig really pulled through for you."

"He did," he nodded before taking her hand and heading out the door to step into the parlor.

He looked around to the sofa to see Craig and Sophie having a moment and he instantly stepped back, silently. Olivia gave a silent giggle, making him smirk down at her as he pressed a finger to his lips and turned to head out the door, not wanting to interrupt them. He set the keys Craig had given him on the chest of drawers then made for the door, Olivia under his arm.

"Oi!" Craig called, he and Sophie suddenly up and heading toward the two as they turned at the sound of his voice.

"What? You're trying to sneak off?" Sophie smiled.

"Yes, well…" the Doctor replied. "You were sort of…busy."

Craig chuckled before lifting the keys the Doctor had just put down and handed them to Olivia, saying, "I want you to keep these."

"Thanks," she smiled, taking them as she wrapped her arms around the Doctor.

"Cause we might pop back soon, have another little stay," the Doctor smirked.

"No, you won't," Craig scoffed. "I've been in your head, remember?"

"I feel for you," Olivia smirked, making the Doctor bring his hand down to poke her in the ribs and she gave a squeak, jerking and giggling as she smiled up at him.

"I still want you to keep them," Craig nodded.

"Thank you, Craig," the Doctor nodded.

"Thank _you_, Doctor," Craig replied. "See you, Olivia."

"Oh, no," Olivia smirked, shaking her head as she approached him. "You're not getting away with that. Come here, you big lug!"

She threw her arms around Craig for a tight hug as he chuckled before she pulled away and gave a tight hug to Sophie as well then stepped back next to the Doctor.

"Now then," he said. "Six billion four hundred and twenty six people in the world. That's the number to beat."

"Doctor!" Olivia gasped incredulously as he patted their shoulders and turned to head out the door, pulling her under his arm again. "Was that so bad?"

"What?" he frowned as they strolled down the street toward the TARDIS parked close by this time.

"Saying goodbye," she smirked up at him as they approached the blue box and he opened the door.

"Oh, Liv," he huffed, lowering his hand to place it at the small of her back and shove her inside as he called, "It was _excruciating_!"

She laughed as she stumbled into the TARDIS, meeting Amy's open arms for a grateful, greeting hug and she hugged her back.

"God, did I miss you two!" Amy grinned, still hugging Olivia tightly before letting her go and throwing her arms around the Doctor when he shut the door.

"Glad you're alive, Amy," the Doctor laughed, patting her back before she released him and they all ran up the stairs as he stripped off his jacket and operated the console. "Back in time! You need to go to the paper shop and leave that note for me."

"Right little _matchmaker_, aren't you?" Amy smirked as Olivia followed after him, frowning when he pulled out a stethoscope to listen to a part of the console. "Can't you find _me_ a fella?"

The Doctor groaned before looking to Olivia and telling her, "Rectifier's playing up again."

"What do you need?" Olivia asked him as he pulled the stethoscope off and handed it to her.

"It's upstairs," he replied, grabbing her other hand and dragging her up the stairs heading deeper into the TARDIS. "Come with me. Amy! You write the note and I'll change that will."

"So _that's_ how his friend ended up rich," Olivia smirked, making him give her a wink over his shoulder.

"You got a pen?" Amy asked after him.

"Make sure it's a _red_ pen!" he replied, neither one of them seeing her go toward his jacket sitting on the jump seat, looking for a pen as he only continued up the stairs with Olivia in tow.

"Theta!" she laughed as he pulled her through the halls of the TARDIS and stopped at a door. "Where are you taking me and why?"

"I said I'd make it up to you," he smiled. "This is it. Behind this door is a hint as to where we're going next. A _big_ hint. So big you couldn't miss it even if you were blind."

"Why am _I_ the only one getting this hint?" she wondered. "Why isn't Amy here, too?"

"Because this is a place where you and I have been before," he grinned, making her smile widen and her eyes glow with excitement.

"Open the door! Open the door!" she chanted, jumping up and down like an impatient five year-old, and it made him smile fondly at her as he pushed the door open.

She frowned as she stepped in, the Doctor right behind her before her wonder turned to disbelief. If the dark purple sky, the pink sand or the sound of the waves crashing on it didn't give it away, the lightshow in the sky certainly did.

"Aurora!" she grinned before turning around and throwing her arms around him to hug him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

"Don't thank me yet," he laughed, hugging her back before she leaned back to look up at him with, still grinning. "We have to get there first."

* * *

_Later in the Console Room..._

"Night or day?" Olivia asked, operating the console alongside the Doctor.

"Um…night," he replied, neither one looking up at the other. "She's _got_ to see the skylights."

"Where are we goin?" Amy questioned them, stepping up next to Olivia. "I haven't seen _you_ this excited in a while."

"That's 'cause where we're going, _I've_ been before," Olivia grinned, her eyes alight as she looked to Amy. "Trust me, you're gonna _love_ it Amy."

"Right!" the Doctor cheered with a grin, slamming a lever down before running around the console to grab Olivia's hand, rounding the console one more time for fun before grabbing Amy's hand and running down the stairs toward the door. "Amelia Pond, welcome to the best beach planet in the _history_ of beach planets!"

Olivia shoved the door open to reveal the exact same view she had seen in the TARDIS. The skylights were blue and purple against the dark purple, starless sky.

"It's _gorgeous_!" Amy grinned as Olivia turned to throw her arms around the Doctor's neck to hug him close.

"I know this is for Amy too, but thank you so much for this, Theta," she whispered, her lips against his ears as he hugged her in return.

"Alright you lovebirds, what we here for?" Amy smirked at them as Olivia pulled back and stepped next to him, letting him hold onto one of her hands.

"Well, Pond, there's a lovely little restaurant just up the beach where they sell the most _magnificent_ fish and chips!" the Doctor replied, slinging his arm around Olivia's shoulders as she walked them toward Amy, doing the same to her and walking them up the beach. "Well, I say fish and chips but _actually_, it's Sclosh. It's a specialty here. Tastes like lobster! Oh, they do everything with it. Batter, bake, fry, served raw, you name it, they do it."

"Oh, I remember that!" Olivia grinned. "It was _so_ good!"

"Sclosh?" Amy frowned at them as they continued down the beach.

"Once you taste it, you'll _love_ it," Olivia assured Amy as they came up to an open restaurant with chairs and tables set in the sand, the glow from the skylights illuminating the beach.

The Doctor let his arm fall from Amy's shoulders as she skipped ahead toward the restaurant, strolling along with Olivia still under his arm. He glanced around before quickly sidestepping to head behind the small restaurant, making Olivia give a small squeak of surprise before giggling as he pulled her after him. She gasped when her back landed against the wall, the Doctor pinning her against it with a smirk as he looked down at her.

"Feeling better?" he murmured and she nodded, unable to wipe the grin from her face as she lifted a hand to play with the knot of his bowtie. "Good. Give us a kiss?"

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to plant her lips to his, making his hands land on the wall on either side of her as he pressed his body against her, his mouth moving against her lips. She sighed in contentment as his tongue slid past her lips and his hands slid down to grip her hips before slowly pulling his mouth from hers.

"We should join Amy," she breathed, their eyes locked as she smirked, "She's probably about to wander off."

He scoffed before leaning next to her ear to whisper, "After we eat, you're coming with me to the beach house."

"What about Amy?" she whispered back.

"She'll be fine, Liv. Nothing happens here, remember?"

"Can you blame me for forgetting after everything we've been through? It seems like it's been non-stop, lately."

"It's _always_ been like that, Liv. You know that."

"Yes, but this is different." Olivia sighed, running her hands to his shoulders and down his chest. "Something's…not right. I can feel it."

"I know," the Doctor nodded, sending her wide-eyed stare at him. "I feel it, too. We'll figure it out, Liv. Right now…just enjoy yourself, yes?"

Her shock fell away to a smile and she nodded before placing a sweet kiss to his lips, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to lead her out from behind the restaurant to sit at the table Amy had chosen for them. She did enjoy herself as they all made each other laugh reminiscing over their adventures. However, when they recalled an adventure when Rory had been with them, her heart clenched because she and the Doctor couldn't mention him. As the night went on, the Doctor suggested Amy head toward the club up the beach, to which she jumped at the chance and soon left them alone at the table.

"You sure she's gonna be ok on her own?" Olivia wondered as they both watched her head up the beach as they stood from the table themselves.

"She'll be fine," he replied, casually as he took her hand and nearly dragged her after him, and she knew exactly where they were going…his beach house.

It wasn't long before the Doctor was using the Sonic on the door to his own beach house and when she stepped through the door it was exactly as she remembered…glass ceiling to display the glow of the changing skylights, and it even smelled the way she remembered. The sounds of the waves crashing outside was familiar, the distant sound of the nightclub where she knew Amy was.

"It feels like I've come home," she smiled, turning to him as he shut the door. "We had such a wonderful time here before you left me in Cardiff. The TARDIS will always be home, but…this is almost just as familiar."

"I know what you mean," he smirked, stepping toward her. "I feel the same way."

"You can't wait to get me undressed, can you?" she smirked as he took her hand.

"Actually…I need to borrow this…" he replied, slipping her ring off her left middle finger and making her frown at him as he turned to head up the stairs, using the Sonic on the ring.

"Hey!" she chirped, marching after him. "What are you doing to my ring?!"

"Update!" he called back, heading straight for the master bedroom, Olivia right behind him.

"Theta! Give it back!" she laughed.

She reached over his shoulder to take her ring back, but he moved so that she only grabbed his shoulder and without missing a beat, she pulled on his shoulder to turn him around. As he spun around on one foot, the Sonic's whirring ceased, and he instantly knelt down on one knee in front of her. Olivia's playfulness instantly fell to absolute disbelief, her eyes wide, her jaw nearly hitting the floor as he held her ring up to her, tucking the Sonic away in his jacket.

"What…?" she breathed as she stared down at him, that being the only thing she could even think to say, her mind a blank.

"What?" he echoed. "Oh! Right! Sorry. Marry me?"

"_What_?!"

"Marry me."

"You're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be serious?"

"Because you're you, and this is out of left field!"

"Is that a football term?"

"It's a general sports term. Don't distract me!"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Technically you didn't ask, and you already know my answer!"

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Of course it is!"

"Then why are you yelling and acting so cross?"

"Because I don't know why you're doing this, and it pisses me off!"

The Doctor gave a frown as Olivia took in a deep breath, lifting a hand to rub her temples as she looked away from him.

"It's just sudden, Theta," she sighed, having calmed herself as she lowered her hand and looked down at him as he remained in his kneeling position. "The idea was unappealing to you before, I could tell, and now all of a sudden you're…down on one knee in front of me and asking me. Why?"

"Why do you have to know why?"

"Because there's _always_ a reason with you, Theta. If I've learned anything from traveling around with you in that blue box, it's _that_."

"If I tell you why, will you say yes?"

"You know the answer to that, too."

"It's because I love you, Liv."

Olivia's eyes shot wide again before she frowned when he stood to step closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers as he took her left hand in his.

"After the Silurians…after Rory was pulled into the crack and I was trying to help Amy keep him in her memory…I kept thinking: What if that had been you or me? I'd be devastated if anything happened to you. I contemplated leaving you back at home, to protect you. Then I realized you'd _never_ go for that, so I started thinking…maybe we _could_ be married? I let it rattle around in my head for a bit, but after this last adventure with Craig and Sophie, I made my decision. I didn't want to miss out on this because I was afraid of losing you. I've always been your Highwayman and you've always been my girl…but I want to be your _husband_, and I want you to be my _wife_."

Olivia tried to blink away the tears that gathered and blurred her vision as he spoke, but it did no good. She sniffled as the tears rolled down her cheeks and he lifted his free hand to brush her tears away with his thumb and fingers. She jerked with a sob before lifting her right hand to place it behind his head, pulling him onto her lips, her left hand still in his hand. She pulled back to set her forehead against his and whispered only one word.

"Yes."

The Doctor grinned, making Olivia give a giggle as he slid the ring he'd resized onto her left ring finger. He slid his arms around her as his lips met hers again and her arms wrapped around his neck. He backed up toward the bed until his legs hit the edge of it, making them unceremoniously tumble onto the mattress, Olivia giving a giggle and the Doctor giving a huff as she landed on top of him.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia hung up her phone and set it back on the nightstand next to the bed, giggling as the Doctor pressed kisses down her neck as she laid on top of him, both of them tangled in the sheets.

"Amy's in the TARDIS," she sighed, snuggling her cheek to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. "She said she's tired so she's gonna sleep. She also said, when we get back, don't wake her up."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he murmured into her hair before kissing her head, smoothing a hand up and down her back. He watched her as she lifted her left hand to look at her ring now on her ring finger and he chuckled, "_Now_ you admire it. When I first gave that to you, you refused to."

"Yeah, but now it's my _engagement_ ring," she grinned. "It's different. I can't _wait_ to tell Amy."

"You…might want to hold off on that," he murmured, making Olivia's grin fall as she set her hand on his chest, feeling his second heart beat beneath it.

"Right," she agreed in a breath. "When are you gonna get her sorted?"

"I'm trying, Liv," he whispered. "In fact, we should go now, so I can get started on that again. Come on."

Olivia gave a silent gasp when he shifted and jumped out of bed, making her face land onto the mattress before she shoved herself up to watch him dress.

"Enjoying the view, Liv?" he asked, still dressing.

"Yup," she smirked, popping the 'P' before giggling when he stood, tall to tuck in his shirt and pull up his suspenders and he grinned at her with a wink.

"Well, hurry up," he smirked. "Get dressed. We've gotta get Amelia Pond sorted, don't we? But…who's to say we can't have a few adventures on the way?"

"That could be dangerous," she smirked, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed as he strolled up to her. He leaned forward, his hands on the mattress on either side of her legs as she grinned up at him, a flush over her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes.

"_Very_ dangerous," he murmured, giving her an Eskimo kiss. "Are you up for it, Mrs. Sigma?"

"Oh, hell yes, Mr. Sigma," she giggled back.

"Then off we go."

* * *

_Later in the TARDIS..._

Olivia admired her ring on her left ring finger before slipping it off and switching it to her right. She couldn't risk Amy finding out just yet. The Doctor stepped up beside her as he operated the console, frowning at her when he caught her action.

"What are you doing?" he wondered, making her look to him with wide eyes.

"Well, we can't have Amy finding out," Olivia whispered. "She'll see the ring on my ring finger and she'll ask questions. It's just until we get everything fixed up."

"Right," he nodded. "Of course."

"Where's Amy?" she wondered then smiled, "And where are we going?"

The Doctor pointed to their feet, making Olivia frown before she looked down to see Amy in the swing hanging from the underside of the console.

"As for where we're going…" he smirked before leaning toward her ear to whisper, "It's a surprise."

Olivia smirked before turning her head to press a quick kiss to his lips, making him grin then turn to kneel on the floor and hang over the edge of the glass to look at Amy.

"Vavoom!" he grinned, making Olivia giggle as she remained at the console.

"Va-_what_?" Amy replied with a frown, but the Doctor only stood and ran back to the console to operate it as she shoved herself out of the swing and made her way to it, leaning next to Olivia.

"I can't _believe_ I've never thought of this before!" the Doctor reported, running around the console. "It's _genius_! Right! Landed. Come on."

"Where are we?" Amy asked as the Doctor headed around the console to grab Olivia's hand but instead of heading for the door he turned to Amy.

"Planet One," he began, slinging an arm over Olivia's shoulders. "The _oldest_ planet in the universe. And there's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing. Letters fifty feet high, a message from the dawn of time, and no one knows what it says, 'cause no one's ever translated it…till today."

"What happens today?" Amy wondered.

"Us," he replied, pulling Olivia toward the door.

"The TARDIS translation matrix!" Olivia grinned in realization. "It can translate anything!"

"All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history," the Doctor smirked as they stopped at the door, Amy running after them.

They all hurried out the door and Olivia grinned as she looked around first at the jungle terrain before looking up at the cliff they were parked in front of. She frowned in wonder as she heard Amy chuckle from behind her and looked to the Doctor with the same frown.

"Does that say what I think it does?" she asked him.

"It might," he nodded, scratching at his face, nervously.

"Does that say…?"

"'Hello Sweetie'?"

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Vavoom," Amy chuckled as Olivia sighed, staring blankly at the cliff. "What's that under the words?"

"Coordinates," the Doctor replied, taking Olivia's hand again and pulling her back into the TARDIS. "Come along, Pond."

They all went back inside, Amy shutting the door behind them as the Doctor ran toward the console to input the coordinates and Olivia helped him fly it.

"Where we off to now?" Amy asked, glancing between them.

"To help River out with whatever craziness she's gotten into now, right, Doctor?" Olivia smirked at him across the console and he smirked back.

"Yes, we are," he nodded, operating the console and coming up next to her. "You'll be ok, right?"

"Yeah, we're friends," she chirped before whispering into his ear. "And I'm sure she'll be thrilled to find out we're engaged."

* * *

**A/N:** A bit of rest...and a huge surprise! I bet every one of you saw that coming, didn't you? its ok, you can say it. reviews?


	39. A Fairy Tale

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 39: A Fairy Tale**_

"Right place?" Olivia hoped as the Doctor opened the TARDIS door, she and Amy right behind him when he stepped outside.

"Well, we just followed the coordinates on the cliff face," he replied, taking Olivia's hand and checking his watch as they strolled out into the woods on the hill they'd parked on. "Earth. Britain. 1:02 a.m.—no, p.m." He looked ahead from his watch, adding, "No…A.D."

"That's a Roman Legion," Amy realized, following his gaze, as did Olivia.

"Well, yeah," the Doctor replied. "The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."

"Oh, I know," Amy smirked. "My favorite topic at school: Invasion of the _hot_ Italians." Olivia couldn't help but snicker as the Doctor frowned at Amy before she added, "Yeah, I _did_ get marked down for the title."

"Doctor," Olivia called, tugging on his hand as she watched a Roman soldier running toward them up the hill. She frowned when he made the Roman salute by pounding his fist over his heart, making his armor give a thunk before he knelt down.

"Hail, Caesar!" he panted, making them all frown in wonder at each other, then at him. "Welcome to Britain. We are honored by your presence."

"Well, you're only human," the Doctor blurted before trying to sound commanding as he permitted, "Arise…Roman person."

"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Amy muttered as the soldier stood.

"That lipstick isn't quite his shade," Olivia hinted, making the Doctor take a closer look at the solider who had lipstick smudged over his lips. "But, I think I know whose shade it _is_."

"Cleopatra will see you now," the soldier panted.

Olivia smirked as they all followed the soldier down the hill and toward the encampment. The Doctor held onto Olivia's left hand and she felt his finger tip trace the inside of her ring finger where her ring should've been. She frowned at their hands before looking up at him in wonder but she couldn't help smiling as she noticed him sulking because her ring wasn't there. It wasn't too long before they reached a grand tent and the soldier moved the flap of the entrance aside to reveal two servants tending to a familiar face in Egyptian clothing.

"Hello, Sweetie," River smiled, bringing a goblet to her lips for a sip as the three stepped in front of her.

"River," Amy smiled in slight surprise. "Hi."

"I think you mean, Your _Majesty_, Amy," Olivia corrected with a smirk as she bowed grandly, making River chuckle.

"You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe," the Doctor almost scolded River in a low voice.

"_You_ wouldn't answer your phone," River shot back before clapping her hands twice and one of the servants handed her something rolled up, which she in turn handed to the Doctor but he didn't take it.

"What's this?" he asked as Olivia stepped closer to have a look at it.

"It's a painting. Your friend Vincent," she replied, making him snatch the thing from her and step toward the table to the side.

"Vincent?" Olivia echoed, all three women following him to see the painting as he spread it out over the table.

"One of his final works," River explained, nodding to Olivia before asking the Doctor, "He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one."

They all stared at the painting, Olivia's eyes widening in horror at what she could definitely interpret from it.

"Doctor," she breathed. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Why is it exploding?" Amy questioned as Olivia stared at the Doctor when he marched toward a chair and sat heavily.

"I assume it's some kind of warning," River replied.

"What, something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"It _might_ not be that literal," River reported. "Anyway, this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign. See?"

"Does it have a title?" the Doctor questioned.

"The Pandorica Opens," River answered.

"What's the Pandorica?" Olivia asked, stepping next to the Doctor.

"A box. A cage. A prison," River listed. "It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."

"And it's a fairy tale," the Doctor insisted, standing to pace the tent. "A legend. It _can't_ be real!"

"If it is _real, it's _here_, _andit's_ opening_, and it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding," River retorted as the Doctor grabbed some scrolls, shoving the armful into Olivia's hands and spreading one of them out over the painting. "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't _find_ it on a map."

"No…but if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it," he smirked, looking to the map.

"What are you looking for?" Olivia wondered, looking over his shoulder at the map as well, still holding the maps he'd handed her.

"A landmark," he replied. "Something that will last through a thousand years…_longer_, even, without a scratch."

"What about that?" Olivia asked, pointing to a place on the map.

"What?" he frowned in wonder.

"_That_," Olivia repeated. "What I'm pointing at."

"Oh, Felton, you're _good_," River smirked before looking to one of the servants and ordering, "Get the horses ready for myself and my friends."

River stepped toward a thickly curtained area to change in something more suitable for riding—and running—and Amy went to examining the things in the tent as Olivia remained next to the Doctor, tapping his shoulder to get his attention.

He turned to her with a frown, asking, "Yes?"

"How long have you known about this?" she instantly questioned.

"Known about what?"

"_This_," Olivia snapped, moving the map to slap her hand on the painting of the TARDIS exploding.

"I _didn't_ know about it," he insisted.

"What did you pull out of the Crack?" she demanded softly, making the Doctor's eyes widen slightly.

"What?" he breathed.

"The Crack," she insisted. "In the Silurian's cave, you pulled something out of it. What was it?"

He shifted on his feet for a moment under her hard stare before glancing over his shoulder at Amy and finally caved, when he murmured, "I found…a piece of the TARDIS."

"So you _did_ know about this," she hissed.

"I didn't know the TARDIS was _exploding_!"

Olivia looked to the painting and placed her head on the Doctor's shoulder, sighing, "I'm so scared, Theta."

"I know, Liv," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So am I."

* * *

_Later..._

The four rode their horses at a gallop toward Stonehenge. They pulled their horses to a stop a few yards away to run toward the structure and the Doctor instantly used the Sonic on the center rocks, River using her handheld computer.

"How come it's not new?" Amy wondered, looking around the structure.

"Because it's already old," River replied, not looking from her work as Olivia looked over her shoulder at her work. "It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

"Ok, this Pandorcia thing," Amy began, looking to River. "Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the _Byzantium_."

"Spoilers," River warned, placing a finger over her lips to tell Amy not to say anything more as she walked by her.

"No, but _you told_ the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens," Amy recalled as Olivia used the Sonic as well for a general reading.

"Maybe I did," River chirped, casually. "But I haven't _yet_. But I _will_ have."

"Time travel, Amy," Olivia explained, coming up next to her. "It's very…wibbly wobbly and timey wimey."

"Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere," River reported as Amy giggled at Olivia. "Energy weapons discharged on this site."

"If the Pandorica _is_ here it contains the mightiest warrior in history," the Doctor explained, standing on one of the rocks. "Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it."

"_Definitely_ fight over it," Olivia agreed, closing her Sonic, watching the Doctor jump off the rock to lean over and put his ear to it.

"We need to get down there," he murmured.

"It won't be easy," River replied, still scanning with her handheld. "I've got something to open it. Olivia, help me set it up?"

"Sure," she nodded with a smile as she headed after River when she led her back toward the horses.

Once they were out of earshot of the Doctor and Amy, River asked, "So, where's your Psychic Band?"

Olivia frowned in wonder at River and asked, "My what?"

"Your ring," River replied, holding up her left hand and using her thumb to rub her middle finger where it met her palm. "The gold one with the psychic speck. You call it your Psychic Band."

"Well _now_ I will," Olivia smirked before wagging a finger at River, playfully adding, "Spoilers."

"You _always_ pull the spoilers out of me," River smiled as hey reached the horses and she went rummaging through her saddlebags. "The small ones at least. Never the big ones."

"Good," Olivia nodded. "I'd hate to have a surprise spoiled. I _love_ surprises."

"I know," River smirked before handing Olivia a few small things, making her look down at them and twiddle her thumbs over them nervously.

"And…_speaking_ of surprises, the answer to your question is: I had to switch it to my right hand," Olivia smiled. "I can't let Amy find out yet, but I wanted to tell you, and Theta said I could." She looked up at River again, now grinning as River frowned at her in wonder before she continued, "He asked me to marry him yesterday, and I said yes."

River's eyes lit up as she threw her arms around Olivia who let out a sigh of relief into her hair, blowing the blonde curls in front of her mouth up with her breath. River pulled back, grinning, to Olivia's relief again.

"That's wonderful!" she grinned before gently placing her hands on either side of her face then setting them on her shoulders. "I'm _so_ happy for you!"

"I'm _so_ glad," Olivia sighed. "Because I want _you_ at our wedding…if that's ok, I mean. Because of your connection to Theta…I don't want it to be weird."

"Don't be ridiculous," River smiled, turning back to the saddlebags. "I'll be there. But, I'm not sure it will turn out the way you want it to."

"What do you mean?" Olivia frowned, watching her pull a few things from the bags.

"I mean…don't start planning your wedding yet."

* * *

_Night..._

River placed a device on one of the rocks in the center of Stonehenge and when she stood back she tapped into her handheld, murmuring, "Alright. Ready."

Olivia glanced around at the three, the lights she had helped River set up illuminating their space enough so the Doctor saw her looking at him and she smiled up at him. The rock slowly slid away to reveal a staircase and River shined a torch into the hole as they all peeked into it.

"The underhenge," the Doctor murmured, taking Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the stairs. "Come along, Liv."

They both pulled their Sonics from their jackets and aimed them down the stairs as they all, cautiously headed down the stairs in a row. They filed through a narrow tunnel and into a larger room where torches sat on the walls on either side. The Doctor aimed his Sonic at one of them, instantly setting it ablaze then pulled it off the wall as River took the other down, holding it to his torch to light hers. Olivia went to the huge door in front of them, using both hands to lift the plank of wood keeping the doors shut from its setting. The Doctor and River leaned slightly against the doors, and Olivia couldn't help but grin when he grinned between them. They could see the excitement in his eyes. They pushed the door open and Olivia curled her arm around Amy's to pull her forward as the doors slowly revealed a very much larger room. They all stepped inside and Olivia couldn't help but stare huge, jade eyes at the gigantic box with a matching circular symbol on all sides in the center of the room.

"The Pandorica," the Doctor breathed.

"More than just a fairy tale," River replied.

River smiled at the Doctor as he gaped at her before looking to the Pandorica again and pulling Olivia with him by the hand, holding the torch in the other. A strange sound came from the floor next to Olivia's foot when she kicked something, nearly tripping and making them both look down at what she'd kicked. Her eyes widened when she realized the thing was the arm of a Cyberman and shot her gaze to the Doctor.

"Theta—"

"I know," he whispered back, cutting her off. "Just stay close and keep your eyes open, Liv."

She nodded as he led her closer to the Pandorica and everyone was silent as they inched closer to it until he could place his hand on it to make sure it was real and not an illusion.

"Tell me about the Pandorica, Doctor," Olivia murmured, staring at it in awe.

Not looking away from it as he explained, "There was a goblin or a…trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared creatures in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it of hold it or…_reason_ with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

"How did it end up in _there_?" Amy wondered as River scanned the place with her handheld.

"You know fairy tales," the Doctor smirked, still examining the Pandorica. "A good wizard tricked it."

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," River grumbled, handing her torch to Amy to examine the Pandorica as well. "They always turn out to be _him_."

"That doesn't surprise me," Olivia smirked as all three of them examined it.

"So it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then?" Amy guessed. "Almost the same name."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor asked, putting his torch in a holder near the Pandorica.

"The story," Amy explained. "Pandora's Box with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favorite book when I was a kid."

The Doctor used his Sonic on one of the circles on the side of the box before turning to Amy and frowning at her, heading toward her as Olivia pulled her Sonic out and used it on the Pandorica as well.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked him as he approached her still frowning.

"Your favorite school topic. Your favorite story," the Doctor recalled. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case _always_ ignore a coincidence. Or pass it on to someone else. Liv, don't ignore her coincidence."

"Yes, love," she replied as he marched back toward the Pandorica.

"So can you open it?" River asked, placing her handheld on one side of the box to scan it.

"Easily," he replied. "Anyone can break _into_ a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to _find_ first."

"You'll not have long to wait," she said, looking at her handheld. "It's already opening. There are _layers_ and _layers_ of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one."

"Being opened from the inside?" Olivia guessed on the other side of the Doctor.

"Right," River answered, placing her ear and handheld to the box.

"How long do we have?" Amy asked.

"Hours at most," River replied.

"What kind of security?" the Doctor questioned River.

"Everything," she responded. "Deadlocks, time-stops, matter-lines."

"What could need all that?" he wondered.

"What could get _past_ all that?" River retorted.

"Think of the fear that went into making this box," he murmured, not to anyone in particular. "What could _inspire_ that level of fear? Hello, you…have we met?"

"Why would it open _now_?" Olivia wondered as he stood next to her.

"No idea," he murmured.

"And how could Vincent have known about it?" Amy chimed in. "He won't even be born for centuries."

The Doctor looked to the pillars leading from the door to the Pandorica and used the Sonic on them, announcing, "The stones. These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere to every _time_ _zone_. The Pandorica is opening."

"Wait a minute," Olivia said, turning to look at the Doctor's back as he faced away from her. "Did you just say…?"

"Everyone, everywhere?" River finished when she trailed off.

"Even poor Vincent heard it in his dreams," he continued, seeming not to hear either of them as he turned back to the box and began to pace. "But _what's in there_? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?" River asked again as he continued pacing.

"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it," he continued. "Why don't I know?"

"Doctor, you said _everyone_ could hear it," Olivia recalled.

"So who else is coming?" River finished.

That made the Doctor stop pacing and turn to look at all three of them.

"Oh," he blurted in realization.

"Oh?" Amy echoed in wonder. "Oh, what?"

The Doctor exchanged a glance with River who then exchanged a glance with Olivia and both women marched toward the pillars.

"Ok," River began, placing her handheld against the pillar and typing at it as the Doctor and Olivia used their Sonics on the pillars. "If it _is_ basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal."

"Doing it," the Doctor called back.

"Doing what?" Amy questioned in irritation that she was being ignored.

"Stonehenge is transmitting," Olivia explained as she worked. "It's been transmitting for a while, so we have to wonder who else heard?"

"Ok," the Doctor called. "Should be feeding back to you now. River, what's out there? Getting anything?"

"Give me a moment," she called.

"River, quickly, anything?" he called, making them both stop and look at her as she stared at her handheld in what looked like horror.

"Around this planet there are at least ten thousand starships," she reported.

"At _least_?" Amy scoffed in panic.

"Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, I don't _know_," River replied. "There's too many readings."

"What kind of starships?" the Doctor asked her.

On cue, voices came through the handheld through the intercom…voices that made Olivia's heart stop and her face drain of color as she stared huge eyes at the Doctor.

"Daleks," Amy voiced all their thoughts. "Those are Daleks."

"Daleks," Olivia breathed, making him look to her as her breath came in shallow. He could tell she was panicking.

"Yes," he chirped, starting to pace in front of Olivia, tossing his Sonic Screwdriver from hand to hand. "Ok. Dalek fleet. Minimum twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth. Ah! But we've got surprise on our side! They'll never expect four people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships. 'Cause we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly _short_ surprise." He hit himself in the head with his Sonic, saying, "Forget surprise."

"Doctor, Cyberships," River called now standing at another pillar, making all eyes shoot to her.

"No, _Dalek_ ships," the Doctor insisted. "Listen to them. Those are Dalek ships."

"Yes," she conceded. "Dalek ships _and_ Cyberships."

"Well, we need to start a firefight," he suggested as River ran to another pillar. "Turn them on each other. That's _easy_. It's the Daleks. They're so cross—!"

"Sontaran," River reported. "Four battle fleets."

"Santa-what?" Olivia chirped with a frown at the Doctor as he paced again.

"Sontarans," he replied. "Talk about cross, _who_ stole all their handbags?"

"Terileptil, Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestine, Dranvin, Sycorax, Haemo-goth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian," River listed then announced, "They're all here for the Pandorica."

The Doctor turned to stare at the Pandorica in awe and wonder, asking, "What are you? What could you _possibly_ be?"

Suddenly he turned and ran toward the exit, grabbing Olivia's hand as he did to drag her back up the stairs, River and Amy following them. They stared up at the sky when they reached the top to see the lights of the spaceships whizzing through the air all around them.

"What do we do?" Amy murmured in horror at the sight.

"Doctor, listen to me," River told him as he and Olivia both stared up at the sky. "Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You _can't_ win this. You can't even _fight_ it. Doctor, this once, just this _one_ time, _please_, you have to run."

"Run _where_?" he retorted.

"Fight how?!" she shot back.

"Theta, she's right," Olivia murmured, making him look at her with wide eyes as she looked back at him with tears in her eyes. "You _have_ to run. There's too many of them."

"That really hurts, Olivia," he told her as he reached into his jacket pocket. "I thought you had faith in me."

"I _do_," she argued. "You _know_ I do, but this is just…impossible."

He gave her a scolding look before lifting the binoculars he'd pulled from his jacket to look ahead at the encampment, making her frown.

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," he smirked.

"What is?" Amy asked. "The Daleks?"

"No," he replied, lowering the binoculars. "The Romans."

He put the things away before turning and dragging Olivia back toward the two.

"River, take Olivia with you back to the camp for help," he instructed her. "We'll need a good amount of men. Use your best judgment, but stay at the camp. Just send them over."

"Um, excuse me," Olivia chimed in, raising her hand as she stepped into his view. "I'm not leaving you here."

"River will need help," he assumed.

"The hell I do," River scoffed.

"The hell she does," Olivia scoffed as well at the same time then added, "_You_ need more help than she does. Trust me, we know."

"Olivia, do as I tell you," he ordered, mildly.

"Do you not know her?" River wondered, making him glance between the two in astonishment, but before he could say anything River added, "She'll be better off with _you_ than me and you know it."

He set his jaw and grabbed Olivia's hand to pull her away from Amy and River again and once they were a fair distance away he glared down at her.

"_Every_ time," he began in a low tone and clenched teeth. "_Every_ time you argue with me it's when we're about to be attacked, or the TARDIS is about to go wrong, or the monster chasing us is about to catch up. Why? Why do you have to start a row when we're in trouble?!"

"Because I'm scared, Theta!" she hissed back, making him stare down at her in shock. "I'm so damn scared that I don't know what else to do so I argue. And when you tell me to leave you I panic and I argue because I need you with me because I'm scared! The Daleks, the Cybermen and everything _else_ that's coming for you with names I can't even pronounce are coming to _kill_ you to have this thing and that scares me because if _you_ die, _I_ die! I have nothing else! That's it!"

The Doctor looked over Olivia for a moment as she glared up at him, heaving in rage before he wrapped an arm around her to hug her close, murmuring, "Alright fine. You can stay here, but if I _truly_ need you to leave my side you'll have to, understood?"

"Yes, Theta," she shuddered into his shoulder.

"River, go on," he called. "Amy, you'll stay here with me and Liv. We're having another look at that box."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	40. A Prison

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 40: A Prison**_

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" Amy asked, standing a distance away from the Doctor as he examined the Pandorica, Olivia on the other side of it, using her own Sonic.

"Nothing, as far as I know," he replied.

"But in Vincent's painting the TARDIS was exploding," Olivia reminded him as Amy placed her torch in one of the holders. "Is that gonna happen?"

"One problem at a time," he told them. "There's force-field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could exchange it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour."

"What good is half an hour?" Amy wondered as the Doctor used his Sonic, Olivia slowly circling the box.

"There are fruit flies that live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes, and they don't even mate for life," the Doctor reported, still examining the Pandorica before he looked to Olivia as she stepped up next to him and admitted, "There was gonna be a point to that. Amy, I'll get back to you."

"I think he means you can get a lot done in thirty minutes if a fruit fly can have a full life in twenty," Olivia smirked as she circled the box again, slowly, and once she was out of sight, Amy strolled toward the Doctor, holding a small red box in her hands.

"So…" she began then lowered her voice as she stopped next to him, asking, "Are you _finally_ proposing to Olivia?"

"I'm sorry?" his voice cracked as he gave a frown at her when she held up the open box, showing off a diamond ring inside it.

"I found _this_ in your pocket," she explained and his frown fell away as his hearts skipped a beat each. "Not really the ring I thought you'd pick for her. Very traditional."

"No, no, no," he muttered, stepping closer to her. "That's uh…a memory. A friend of mine. Someone I lost. Do you…" He reached for the box but she pulled it back, making him lower his hand as he resumed, "…mind?"

Olivia came around behind Amy just as the ginger looked to the ring in the box and Olivia frowned at the scene but said nothing.

"It's weird," Amy murmured. "I feel… I don't know. Something."

"People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces," the Doctor explained as Olivia stepped around Amy to stand next to him as he continued, "Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half-eaten meals…rings…"

"Nothing's ever _completely_ forgotten," Olivia murmured. "Believe me, I know, Amy. If something can be remembered, it _can_ come back."

They watched Amy's eyes glow with some kind of recognition as she stared at the ring but she quickly shook it away, shutting the box and handing it back to him.

"So was she nice, your friend?" she asked, and the Doctor didn't answer as he silently thanked her for the ring, tucking it away again. He was about to go back to examined the Pandorica as Olivia leaned on it, Amy stepping next to her to watch him.

"Remember that night you flew away with me?" the Doctor asked Amy.

"Of course I do," Amy smiled, slightly.

"And you asked me why I was taking you, and I told you there _wasn't_ a reason," he recalled then confessed, "I was lying."

"What, so you _did_ have a reason?" Amy guessed.

"Your house," he began.

Amy rolled her eyes at his cryptic response, sighing, "My house."

"It was too big, too many empty rooms," he explained and he paused before asking her, "Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?"

She frowned at him in wonder but she had no time to respond before a zapping shot rang out and hit the box near her head, making her scream as sparks flew. The three of them ducked and the Doctor grabbed Olivia's arm to drag her around the Pandorica, Amy running around the other side until they met at one of the corners that provided the most cover.

"What was that?" Amy questioned.

"Ok, I need a proper look," the Doctor replied. "Gotta draw its fire, give it a target."

"How?" Olivia panted from running.

"You know how sometimes I have really _brilliant_ ideas?" he wondered.

"Yes," Olivia sighed rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," he said, planting a kiss to her forehead before shoving her away and running out from behind the box to shout, "Look at me, I'm a target!"

"_Idiot_!" Olivia shouted as he was shot at twice before he ducked behind one of the stone pillars.

"What is that?" Amy questioned from hers and Olivia's position.

"Cyberarm," he called back. "Arm of a Cyberman."

"And _what's_ a Cyberman?" Amy questioned.

"Part man, part robot," Olivia explained. "The human part probably died off years ago and now the robot part of it is looking for…for lack of a better phrase, fresh meat."

"What, _us_?" Amy demanded.

"Yeah, it's like being an organ donor, except you're alive and…screaming," Olivia explained, trying to get a peek at the thing while staying hidden.

"I need to get 'round behind it," the Doctor called to them from his spot. "Could you draw its fire?"

"What, like _you_ did?!" Amy shot back.

"You'll be fine if you're quick," he called. "It's only got one arm, literally!"

He grinned and gave them both a thumbs up, making Olivia roll her eyes as she pulled her Sonic from her jacket as Amy gave a thumbs up back to him, screaming as they ran in the opposite direction. Shots whizzed past them as Olivia aimed her Sonic in the general direction, trying to stop the shots and Amy ducked behind the huge pillar they were running toward. Olivia watched the Doctor pounce on the arm and use his own Sonic on it.

"Doctor?" Amy called, watching him as she came out from the behind the pillar and Olivia grabbed her arm to keep her from getting too close.

"Scrambled its circuits," he explained. "But stay where you are. It could be bluffing."

"Bluffing? It's an _arm_," Amy retorted, skeptically as she took a step closer.

"Yeah, and that arm nearly _killed_ us, Amy," Olivia retorted, pulling on her arm and tugging her back again as the Doctor stood. "Stay here."

She frowned when she thought she felt something curl around her ankle and looked down before looking to Amy who mirrored her actions. They both looked to the Doctor before they were suddenly pulled backward off their feet with a scream each and onto their faces. They both looked to the Doctor in time to see him be electrocuted by the arm in his hand, making them both call out to him before they turned to see what had a hold of them.

"Oh, hell," Olivia murmured at seeing the Cyberman head wriggling on the floor, its wires attacking them.

She shoved the head of her Sonic onto the wire around her ankle until the thing loosened and she instantly pulled her ankle away. She turned to help Amy the same way but the wires were now wrapped around Amy's wrists and the head was inching closer. A wire snapped at her hand, sending her Sonic out of it and skidding over the ground, making her cry out in pain.

"Olivia! Help!" Amy screamed as the head came closer to her and she managed to get to her feet, holding the head in front of her. She frowned as the front of the head split open to reveal a rotted skull, making her scream as it fell out and she kept it at bay as the halves opened and shut, trying to eat her own head.

A hand shoved a silver wand-like tool up into the head where the wires were coming from with a familiar buzzing sound and the thing seemed to seize in Amy's hands before its grip loosened on her and fell to her feet. She stared at it writhing on the ground for a moment before looking up at Olivia who panted from the struggle.

"There goes my Sonic," Olivia sighed, both watching as the Sonic burned and sparked from it spot then fell from the head, melted and useless.

Something shot from the mouth of the Cyberhead, making Olivia pull her behind her, but it was too late, it had hit Amy's neck. Amy pulled the thing from her neck and Olivia examined it in her hand before catching Amy when she began to stumble, becoming unsteady.

"You will be assimilated," the Cyberhead reported in its monotone robot voice.

"Yeah?" Amy muttered, swaying slightly as Olivia kept one arm around her to keep her on her feet. "You and whose body?"

They suddenly heard heavy marching heading toward them and looked up to see an approaching Cyberman body with a missing arm approaching the head. It picked up the head and put it back into place on its shoulders before reaching for the girls with one arm, marching toward them.

"Amy, hold onto my jacket!" Olivia ordered, keeping the ginger behind her as she grabbed the torch from the wall nearby and used it to try keeping the Cyberman at bay.

Amy dragged her backward from her wobbly stance until they fell back into another small room where the doors shut as they fell back into it. Amy leaned back on the wall as Olivia leaned on the door to keep the Cyberman from coming in, even though she knew her strength was nothing against it. It suddenly went dead quiet on the other side of the doors, making both girls step close and place their ears to it to hear what was happened on the other side. They both screamed when a blade sliced through the door in front of their faces and they backed away to let the door swing open to find the Cyberman impaled with a Roman Gladius sword onto it, a Roman standing in the doorway.

Amy blinked, still swaying as she tried to stay conscious, breathing, "Who…Who are you?"

The Centurion stepped out of the shadows, removing his helmet and Olivia's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hello, Amy," Rory smiled, lowering his helmet. Amy's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she gave into the dart's sedative and Olivia instantly caught her when she fell toward her. "Whoa! I got her!"

"Good, 'cause she's heavy," Olivia strained before Rory took Amy into his arms and lifted her to lay her down on the stone shelf next to them. Rory looked down at Amy lovingly as Olivia stared at Rory with wide eyes, then said, "Look, Rory…not that I'm not _thrilled_ to see you, but…how—?"

"Sir," another Roman called, stepping into the room and drawing their attention to him as he reported, "The man's coming round."

"Amy?!" they heard the Doctor call. "Olivia?! Where are you?!"

"We're fine," Olivia called as the Doctor ran into the room, looking around. "Amy's unconscious."

The Doctor hurried toward Amy to run the Sonic over her then sighed in relief, "She's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine." He turned to Olivia, continuing, "And _you_! Olivia Felton! Come here, are you alright?"

"I told you, I'm fine," she couldn't help but laugh as he gently cupped her cheeks to bring her close and plant kisses all over her face, leaving the last kiss on her lips.

"Good," he smiled before letting her go and turning to the Roman behind him, grinning, "Ok, Romans, good. I was just wishing for Romans. Good old River. How many?"

"Fifty men up top, volunteers," Rory reported before pointing to the dead Cyberman asking, "What about that thing?"

"I think it's pretty much done for," Olivia assured him. "Thank you."

"Fifty?" the Doctor echoed, stepping on the other side of the small room to stare at the things in it. "Not exactly a _legion_."

"Your friend was very persuasive," Rory complimented. "But it's a tough sell."

"Yes, I know that, Rory," the Doctor retorted, irritably. "I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious. But we need everything we can get."

Olivia bowed her head, shaking it in hopelessness as Rory frowned at her when the Doctor said he didn't miss the obvious…which is what he was doing right now.

"Ok," he called, pulling two huge guns from their slots, covered in cobwebs and dust. "Cyberweapons. This is basically a sentry box. So headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. Never underestimate a Celt."

"Doctor—"

"Hush, Rory, thinking," the Doctor cut in, mildly. "Why leave a Cyberman on guard? Unless it's a Cyberthing in the box. But why would they lock up one of their own? Ok, no, not a Cyberthing, but what. _What_?"

The Doctor tapped his forehead a few times with one of the weapons before walking toward Rory and standing in front of him, groaning, "No, I'm missing something obvious, Rory! Something _big_, something right _slap_ in front of me. I can feel it!"

"Yeah, I think you probably are," Rory agreed, mildly.

"I'll get it in a minute," he sighed, turning to head out the door, lugging the weapons with him.

Olivia and Rory exchanged glances to each other before they heard the Doctor dump the weapons on the ground and he cautiously came back into the room, staring wide eyes at Rory. He stepped in front of him and placed a finger on the armor to gently push him, testing to see if Rory was real, making Rory rock slowly on his feet, none of them saying a word for a moment.

"Hello again," the Doctor finally broke the silence.

"Hello," Rory breathed back and Olivia glanced between them, awkwardly.

"How've you been?" the Doctor asked.

"Good, yeah, good," Rory sputtered back. "I mean, _Roman_."

"Not to be rude, but, I'm getting a little impatient for an explanation," Olivia chimed in, stepping next to the Doctor. "Rory…you _died_."

"Yeah," Rory nodded. "I know. I was there."

"You died, and then you were _erased_ from time," the Doctor explained. "You didn't just die. You were never born at all. You _never_ existed."

"Erased?" Rory echoed. "What does that mean?"

The Doctor stared at Rory, lifting his hands and opening his mouth wide in disbelief before asking, "How can you be here?"

Rory fumbled, like a fish out of water before finally replying, "I don't know. It's all kind of fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Olivia frowned in wonder.

"Well, I died and turned into a Roman," Rory replied, turning to lean over Amy. "It's _very_ distracting."

He ran a hand over the side of Amy's head, making her moan and stir but she didn't wake as he asked, "Did she miss me?"

Olivia looked to the Doctor as neither of them responded before sudden rumbling and whirring sounded outside the room. The Doctor ran out of the room, followed by Olivia and Rory, all three stopping in front of the Pandorica as the circular symbols glowed green and moved, the Doctor scanning it with his Sonic.

"What is it?" Rory asked as the Doctor lowered the Sonic, slowly. "What's happening?"

"The final phase," the Doctor replied, not looking away from it. "It's opening."

Olivia watched him as he stepped toward the box and touched the cog work as it cranked. Something beeped in his pocket and the Doctor pulled out a handheld to press it to his ear.

"_You're surrounded_," River's voice came from the handheld as Olivia stepped next to the Doctor. "_Have you got a plan?_"

"Yes!" the Doctor replied, using the Sonic on the Pandorica. "Now hurry up and get the TARDIS here. I need equipment!" He hung up the handheld and stared at the box, murmuring, "What are you? They're all here, all of them, all for _you_. What could you _possibly_ be?"

He turned and grabbed Olivia's hand to run toward the exit, hearing the commotion outside. When they stepped outside the starships looked closer as they shined their lights on Stonehenge. Olivia frowned as she watched the Doctor use the Sonic on the handheld before dropping it then hurriedly picking it up and speaking into it like a microphone, using the transmitters and speakers for his voice.

"Sorry, sorry, dropped it. Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica takes the universe! But, bad news, everyone…" He jumped onto a tall rock, grinning, "'Cause guess who! Ha!"

Olivia couldn't help but laugh as she looked up at him with a grin then up at the ships in the sky.

"Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about. It's really _very_ distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because _I…am…talking_!"

Olivia watched in awe as the ships settled.

"Now, the question of the hour is: Who's got the Pandorica? Answer: _I_ do. Next question: Who's coming to _take_ it from me?" The Doctor lifted his arms as a challenge to them before resuming, "Come _on_! Look at me! No plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else…I don't have anything…to…_lose_! So! If you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your silly little guns and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica _tonight_, just remember who's standing in your way! _Remember_ every black day I ever stopped you! And then, _and then_…do the _smart_ thing. Let somebody else try first."

He held up his arms in challenge as Olivia, Rory and his men watched the ships disappear from sight, making her grin as the Doctor jumped down from the rock, smiling back at her.

"That'll keep them squabbling for about half an hour," he smirked, tossing the handheld to Rory then looking to Olivia. "Get to the TARDIS."

She frowned in wonder before breathing, "What?"

"It's the safest place to be right now," he explained. "And I need you safe."

"But…Theta…"

"Liv, I don't know what's in that box," he told her. "You told me you were afraid earlier. _I'm_ afraid, too. I'm afraid of losing you to something so terrible that needs a prison like that, so please don't argue with me on this, yes?"

Olivia bit her lip before nodding and pressing a tender kiss to his lips.

"For luck," she whispered before lifting her hands to swap her ring from her right hand to her left, making him grin and he swept her into his arms for a deeper kiss.

"For _more_ luck," he grinned before putting her down and letting her head toward the horses.

She rode hard and reached the TARDIS just as River rode up as well.

"What are _you_ doing here?" River nearly snapped as they both dismounted and marched toward the TARDIS.

"Hello to you too," Olivia smirked as she unlocked the TARDIS door.

"He told you to come here for your safety, didn't he?" River guessed as they walked in and she stripped off her jacket to set it on one of the jump seats.

"Maybe," Olivia muttered, both turning to operate the console. "How did you know?"

"Because he _always_ tells you that," River smirked as the TARDIS took off, but lurched awkwardly, making the women look at each other in wonder before River turned to the console, asking, "What's the matter with you?"

"What do you need me to do?" Olivia asked River as she ran around the console.

"Just do what you would normally," she replied, not looking away from what she was doing then asked it, "What are you doing?"

"What's wrong, dear?" Olivia murmured as well as the TARDIS suddenly lurched again. "She's thrashing us around a bit more than usual."

"She's taking us somewhere else," River reported. "But I don't know where. She won't respond to the controls properly."

The TARDIS suddenly came to a halt, throwing both of them against the console.

"Ok?" River asked the console as she stood again. "You're ok now?"

"The screen's not working," Olivia grumbled, hitting it twice as the screen showed a distorted picture. "I don't know where we are."

"Come on, then," River called, marching toward the door and Olivia glanced between her and the console before running after her, shutting the door behind her and staring huge eyes at the familiar house they'd landed in front of. "Why have you brought us here?"

"This is Amy's house," Olivia reported, following River as she used her handheld to scan the area. She stopped and held her handheld over something on the lawn…a pattern charred into the grass.

"Ok," River murmured in thought. "So something's been here."

"Oh, my god, the door!" Olivia breathed, seeing the door off its hinges and running into the house.

"Olivia! Wait!" River called, following her into the house, still scanning around the house as she slowly made her way up the stairs. Olivia ran into Amy's room as River soon caught up, shining her flashlight into the room and onto the dresser where figures resembling Amy, the Doctor and Olivia were scattered. "Why do we let him out?"

"Because we _really_ have no control over him," Olivia muttered, looking over the things in the room, frowning when she noticed a book about Pandora's Box just as River's handheld buzzed over another book titled The Story of Roman Britain. "River…I have a bad feeling."

"I know," River whispered then turned to march out the door. "Bring that book back to the TARDIS."

Olivia said nothing as she followed River back out of the house and toward the TARDIS. They both hurried up to the console where River pulled the phone from it, pressing a button and setting it back in its place.

"_The TARDIS, where is it? Hurry up!_" the Doctor spoke from the phone on the console.

"Don't raise your voice," River replied, calmly. "Don't look alarmed. Just listen. They're not real. They _can't_ be. They're all right here in the story book, those actual Romans, the ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's _picture_ book."

"_What are you even __doing__ there?_" the Doctor questioned in a low, irritated tone.

"It doesn't matter," Olivia spoke up. "The TARDIS brought us here. Doctor, how is this possible?"

"_Something's using her memories, __Amy's__ memories_," the Doctor replied.

"But how?" Olivia wondered.

"_You said something had been there?_" he recalled.

"Yes," River replied. "There's burn marks on the grass outside, landing patterns."

"_If they've been to her house, they could've used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories. That's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But __why__?_"

"Who are those Romans?" Olivia asked.

"_Projection or…duplicates_."

"But they were _helping_ us," River recalled. "My lipstick even worked!"

"They might think they're _real_," Olivia theorized. "It's the perfect disguise. They _believe_ their own cover story right until they're activated. Like a Sleeper agent."

"Olivia…" River breathed, making her frown at the other woman as she held a picture of Amy and Rory up to look at it. Amy was dressed as a policewoman…and Rory was dressed as a Centurion. "It's a trap. It _has_ to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe to get close to you, Doctor."

"_Why? Who'd __do__ that? What __for__? It doesn't make sense!_"

The console suddenly sparked, causing both women to spring into action, pressing buttons and flipping switches and pulling levers to get the TARDIS under control as it took off.

"_River?!_" the Doctor called. "_Olivia?! One of you! What's happening?!_"

"I don't know," River replied. "It's the engines."

"There's something wrong with the TARDIS," Olivia called, grabbing the bar of the computer hanging over the console to look at it. "Something _else_ is controlling it."

"_You're __flying__ it wrong_," the Doctor scolded.

"We're flying it _perfectly_," River retorted. "_You_ taught us."

"_Where are you? What's the date reading?_"

"June twenty-sixth, twenty-ten," Olivia reported, still holding onto the computer.

"_You need to get out of there __now__. Any other time zone, just __go_."

"We can't break free!" River reported, running around the console, trying to operate it as did Olivia at the Doctor's command.

"_Well, then, shut down the TARDIS! Shut down __everything__!_"

"We're trying!" Olivia replied. "We _can't_!"

The sounds in the TARDIS suddenly quieted long enough for a sinister chant to sound around them.

"Silence will fall," the voice hissed. "Silence will fall."

"Someone else is flying it," River reiterated, fiddling with some knobs on the console. "An external force. We've lost control."

"_But __how__? Why?_" A sudden painfully high-pitched tone came from the intercom, like feedback. "_Listen to me, just __land__ her anywhere. Emergency landing, __now__! There are cracks in time, I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but __we__ can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her!_"

"It's not safe!" River argued, trying to fly the TARDIS against the force controlling it. The two of them ran around the sparking console, trying to control the ship before it finally settled. "Doctor. We're down. We've landed."

"_Ok, just walk out of the doors. If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down automatically. Just get out of there, the __both__ of you!_"

"We're going!" Olivia called, grabbing River's arm to pull her toward the door.

"_Run__!_" he shouted just as they reached the door.

River pulled on the handle but the door wouldn't budge, making her shout, "Doctor! Doctor, we can't open the doors!"

"Doctor we can't open the doors!" Olivia cried as they both ran back to the console to try to control the TARDIS again as it sparked. "Doctor! We've got seconds! Doctor?! Doctor! _Theta_!"

"Olivia!" River called, running toward her and pulling something from her pocket to press it into her hands. "You know what this is. You've used it before. It's a Vortex Manipulator. Use it to get to the Doctor and help him."

"No! I'm not leaving you here like this!" Olivia cried, shaking her head, but they both ducked and she screamed when something sparked on the console. "The Doctor would never forgive me! I can't leave you!"

"And if _I_ let you stay he won't forgive _me_!" River argued. "You _have_ to go, Olivia!"

Olivia let the tears roll down her cheeks, torn between wanting to go to the man she loved, and wanting to stay with her friend who loved him just as much. River punched the buttons on the Vortex Manipulator before strapping it onto Olivia's wrist, making her look to it with a frown of wonder before her eyes widened and she looked up at River.

"This is Jack's—!"

She had no time to finish her realization before River hit the button to send her where she needed to be. She blinked and she was suddenly back under Stonehenge, but she gasped when she was surrounded by all sorts of aliens, some she knew, some she didn't. She suddenly caught sight of two Romans dragging the struggling Doctor toward the now open Pandorica that revealed some kind of restraint chair.

"_Doctor_!" she screamed without thinking and ran toward him to attempt to help him but she was stopped easily when another Roman threw his arms around her to lift her off her feet, making her scream and kick to be free.

"Let her go!" the Doctor shouted, struggling against his captors to see her as they still dragged him toward the Pandorica. "Olivia! Don't struggle!"

"Doctor!" Olivia cried, tears streaming down her face as she still struggled against the soldier holding her, watching the Doctor being strapped into the Pandorica. The soldier holding her stepped closer so that she was right in front of him as the aliens grouped around the Pandorica.

"You lot," the Doctor began. "Working together, an _alliance_…how is that possible?"

"The cracks in the skin of the universe," a Dalek in the crowd said from behind Olivia but she was too upset to even be terrified of it.

"All reality is threatened," a Sontaran explained.

"All universes will be deleted," the Cyberman Olivia next to Olivia finished.

"What?" the Doctor breathed. "And you've come to _me_ for help?"

"No!" the Sontaran argued. "_We_ will save the universe from _you_!"

"From _him_?" Olivia nearly sobbed in disbelief.

"All projections correlate," the Cyberman replied. "All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe."

"No, no, no," the Doctor argued and Olivia could tell he was panicking. "You've got it wrong."

"The Panorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the alliance," the Cyberman continued.

"A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion," the Dalek confirmed.

"A trap the Doctor could _not_ resist," the Sontaran added.

"The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor," the Dalek reported. "It is confirmed."

"No, no, no," the Doctor insisted. "Not _me_. The _TARDIS_. And I'm not _in_ the TARDIS, am I?"

"Only the _Doctor_ can pilot the TARDIS," the Dalek stated.

"Please, listen to me!" the Doctor urged and Olivia sobbed at the helplessness in his voice.

"You will be prevented," the Dalek continued.

"Total event collapse!" the Doctor tried. "Every sun will supernova every moment in history! The whole universe will never have existed!"

"Listen to him!" Olivia screamed, struggling against her captor.

"Seal the Pandorica," the Cyberman ordered.

"No!" the Doctor called as the Pandorica started to close. "Please, listen to me! The TARDIS is exploding right now, and I'm the only one who can stop it!"

"Doctor!" Olivia screamed. "Doctor! I love you!"

"Listen to me!" the Doctor called once more before shouting, "_Olivia!_"

* * *

**A/N:** can you feel Olivia's despare? CAN YOU?! lol! reviews?


	41. A Vortex Manipulator

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 41: A Vortex Manipulator**_

Olivia stared blankly at the ground and the puddle of her tears there. She was bent over the arms of the Roman soldier that had now turned to stone. She'd been sitting there, limply for what seemed like hours. River had sent her there to help the Doctor, but he'd been shoved into that damned box she was sitting in front of and she had been useless to him. She was too devastated to cry any more. She'd cried and cried until she was drained of tears.

"Olivia!"

Her head shot up with a gasp at the sound of Rory's voice and anger instantly replacing her surprise when he stepped next to her.

"Olivia, are you alright?" he asked. "Let me get you out of there."

"Where's Amy?!" Olivia screamed, trying to be free of the stone arms around her. "What have you done with her, _fake_ Rory?!"

She glared at him as he froze and bowed his head, making her eyes widen in realization.

"You _killed_ her!" she screamed, struggling to be free.

"But…she's not dead!" Rory instantly explained, making her frown at him in irritated confusion. "The Doctor said she wasn't dead!"

"And how the hell did he do _that_ when he's in _there_?!" she snapped, pointing to the Pandorica then frowned when she realized she was free of the solider. She looked around to find the stone soldier had totally disappeared, but decided to address it later as she turned back to Rory. "The Doctor spoke to you? _How_?"

"I dunno," he replied, shaking his head slightly, then lifting his hand to show her the Sonic. "But he gave me this, too. He said to open the Pandorica."

"Do it!" she urged. "Let him out!"

Without another word Rory aimed the Sonic at the Pandorica and it instantly opened the doors, revealing a surprised and confused Doctor, still in the chair he'd been forced into. The chair also released him, but he remained sitting, staring at the two and Olivia frowned in wonder as to why he wasn't climbing out yet.

"How did you do that?" the Doctor questioned.

"You gave me this," Rory replied, holding the Sonic up.

"No, I didn't," the Doctor argued, pulling the Sonic from his jacket.

"You did," Rory argued back. "Look at it."

Olivia frowned as the Doctor finally climbed out of the chair, cautiously approaching them, Sonic first. She jumped when the Sonics touched and sparked, then frowned at the Doctor in wonder.

"Temporal energy," he explained. "Same screwdriver, at different points in its own time stream. Which means it _was_ me who gave it to you. Me from the future. I've got a future! That's nice. _That's_ not."

Olivia frowned when the Doctor gestured to a Dalek that looked like it was covered in calcium.

"Yeah," Rory drawled before asking, "What are they?"

"History has collapsed," the Doctor explained. "Whole _races_ have been deleted from existence. These are just like afterimages. Echoes…fossils in time, the footprints of the never-were."

"Uh, what does _that_ mean?" Rory asked.

"Total event collapse," Olivia explained, drawing both their attentions to her. "The universe _literally_ never happened."

"So how can _we_ be here?" Rory wondered. "What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing," the Doctor replied. "Eye of the storm, that's all. We're just the last light to go out." He paused for a moment before looking to Rory, asking, "Where's Amy?"

Rory looked away again before nodding toward the exit and heading out, the Doctor attempting to follow but Olivia gripped his hand to pull him back.

"Theta—"

"Oh! Right! Sorry."

Without another word he pulled her toward him by the hand she was still holding and planted his lips to hers, making her squeak in surprise but she soon melted into the lip lock. His other arm wrapped around her waist to pull her completely against him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She moaned when he deepened the kiss before pulling away slowly, smiling broadly as Olivia's eyes fluttered open, a goofy grin over her lips as well.

"Theta, I thought I lost you," she whispered, tears she didn't know she had in reserve springing to her eyes. "I thought I was never going to see you again! River sent me here and I _failed_ you!"

"No, no, _no_, Liv," he murmured, gently holding her face to meet her gaze. "You didn't. You were powerless, darling. You haven't lost me, I'm right here, my love."

Olivia sniffled and nodded as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her toward the exit, following Rory. They soon came to the surface to see Amy lying under a blanket and Rory standing over her. The Doctor lowered his arm from Olivia's shoulders to take her hand and pull her closer to Amy, kneeling and pulling the blanket back to see her face.

"I killed her," Rory stated, pathetically.

"Oh, Rory," the Doctor groaned as Olivia felt tears coming to her eyes at seeing Amy lying unmoving on the ground.

"Doctor, what am I?" Rory questioned.

"You're a Nestene duplicate," the Doctor explained. "A lump of plastic with _delusions_ of humanity."

"But I'm _Rory_ now," Rory insisted as the Doctor waved the Sonic over Amy. "Whatever was happening, it's stopped. I'm _Rory_!"

"That's software talking," the Doctor replied, examining the result on his Sonic as Olivia looked to him with a frown of wonder.

"Can you help her?" Rory hoped about Amy. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yeah, probably, if I had the time," the Doctor answered as he stood and tucked the Sonic away.

"The _time_?!" Rory snapped, Olivia staring at the Doctor in disbelief as he stepped over Amy.

"All of creation has just been wiped from the sky," the Doctor retorted. "Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived? Your _girlfriend_ isn't more important then the whole universe."

"Doctor!" Olivia breathed incredulously before gasping in shock as Rory pulled on the Doctor's shoulder and gave him a right hook to the face. "Rory!"

"She is to _me_!" Rory screamed at the Doctor as the Time Lord fell to the ground from the punch.

"Welcome back, Rory Williams!" the Doctor laughed as he shot to his feet again, Olivia running toward the two and frowning at him as he turned to them, rubbing his cheek. "Sorry, had to be sure. Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there."

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned as he headed around her and toward Amy and she followed him. "Was that a test?"

"Yes, and Rory passed," he replied, tucking the Sonic into Amy's top pocket of her jacket. "Right, we need to get Amy downstairs. And take that look off your plastic face. You're getting married in the morning."

Rory stepped toward the two as well and lifted Amy to follow the Doctor and Olivia back toward the stairs. Once in the huge room with the Pandorica, the Doctor took her from Rory and placed her in the chair.

"You have a plan, right?" Olivia hoped, watching the Doctor adjust Amy in the chair of the Pandorica.

"Bit of a plan, yeah," he replied, placing his hands on either side of Amy's head. "Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got a _bit_ more than they bargained for. Like you, Rory. Not just your face, but your heart and your _soul_."

"What are you doing?" Olivia wondered.

"I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening," he explained before stepping out of the box with Olivia and Rory, aiming the Sonic at it to close it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?!" Rory questioned as the box closed.

"I'm saving her," the Doctor replied, tucking the Sonic away. "This box is the ultimate prison. You can't even escaped by dying. It _forces_ you to stay alive."

"But she's already dead," Rory reminded him.

"Well, she's _mostly_ dead," the Doctor corrected him. "The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. All it needs _now_ is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."

"And where's it gonna get that?" Olivia wondered, making the Doctor look to his gold watch.

"In about two thousand years," he replied and Rory looked completely stunned as the Doctor lifted Olivia's hand to examine the thing on her wrist.

"She's gonna be in that box for _two thousand_ years?" Rory questioned as the Doctor unbuckled the manipulator from Olivia's wrist and asked her, "Vortex Manipulator?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "River put it on me and sent me here. Theta, the TARDIS was coming down around her. We have to get her out of there!"

"We will, Liv," he crooned, unbuckling the manipulator from her wrist. "I promise we will. Anyway, this is a rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."

"So, hang on," Rory requested. "The future's still there, then? Our world?"

"A version of it," the Doctor replied, buckling the manipulator onto his wrist. "Not quite the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look. Put your hand there. Don't worry. Should be safe."

The Doctor held up his hand with the manipulator strapped to it in front of Rory and Olivia, and she placed her hand on it, both looking to Rory.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Rory replied, looking to the box.

"She'll be fine," Olivia smiled, her had slipping from the Doctor's wrist and into his hand. "Nothing can get into it, Rory."

Rory scoffed, looking to the Doctor and reminding her, "_He_ got in there."

"Well, there's only _one_ of me," the Doctor smirked. "I counted."

"This box needs a guard," Rory recalled. "I killed the last one."

"No. Rory, no," the Doctor argued. "Don't even think about it."

"She'll be all alone."

"She won't _feel_ it."

"You _bet_ she won't," Rory scoffed again.

"Two thousand years," the Doctor reminded him. "You won't even sleep. You'll be conscious every second. It would drive you _mad_."

"Will she be safer if I stay?" Rory questioned. "Look me in the eye and tell me she _wouldn't_ be safer." When the Doctor only sighed, Rory snapped, "Answer me!"

"Yes, Rory," Olivia replied. "She _will_ be safer. Of _course_."

"Then how can I leave her?" Rory asked, honestly, making Olivia smile at the Doctor who sighed with a smile of his own at Rory.

"Why do you have to be so…human?" he wondered in admiration.

"Because right now I'm not," Rory replied.

"Listen to me," the Doctor ordered, taking Olivia's hand and placing it on the manipulator again, tapping the buttons between her fingers. "This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a _very_ long time. You're living plastic, but you're not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible. Stay away from heat and radio signals, when they come along. You can't heal or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. So, for _God's sake_, however _bored_ you get, stay out of—!"

The Doctor punched a button and when Olivia blinked, their surroundings had changed as he said, "…trouble!"

Olivia screamed when she saw what they were standing in front of and the Doctor pulled her behind him as he looked over his shoulder at Amy and Amelia in front of the Pandorica.

"Ah! Two of you? Complicated."

"Exterminate!" the Dalek shouted, coming closer and making the Doctor back away, Olivia clinging to his arm as they stopped next to the Amelias. "Weapons systems restoring! Exterminate!"

"Come along, Ponds!" the Doctor called, taking Amy's hand as she grabbed Amelia's hand and the Doctor kept a tight hold on Olivia's hand as he ran them around the Pandorica.

"What are we doing?" Amy questioned as the Doctor rummaged through a nearby exhibit, bumping into a dummy and making the fez fall off its head.

"Well, we are running into a dead end, where I'm going to have a brilliant plan that basically involves not being in one," the Doctor replied, catching the fez and stepping out of the exhibit.

"What's going on?" someone called, a flashlight shining into the room behind the Dalek.

"Get outta here!" the Doctor told the girls. "Go! Just run!"

Olivia was glued to her spot as Amy and Amelia all peeked around the box.

"Drop the device!" the Dalek shouted as it turned toward the museum guard.

"It's not a weapon!" the Doctor called to the Dalek. "Scan it. It's not a weapon and you don't have the power to waste."

"Scans indicate intruder unarmed," the Dalek reported.

"You think?" he replied, the flashlight falling to the floor and two shots rang out, hitting the Dalek with sparks.

"Vision impaired!" the Dalek screamed, its head whirling around in panic before its voice warped down and the thing stilled, seeming to shut down.

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled the Sonic from his jacket to aim it at the Dalek as he ran toward it, making Olivia panic.

"Theta!" she squeaked, pulling back against his hand as the Amys followed them. "No! Don't drag me _toward_ it!"

"Amy!" a familiar voice called, and they all looked up to see a familiar face dressed as a security guard.

"Rory," Amy breathed before running toward him and into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Rory began. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. It just happened."

"Oh, shut up," Amy whispered before planting her lips to his as the Doctor ran toward them, Olivia pulling Amelia by the hand to follow him.

"Yeah, shut up," the Doctor agreed as the kissing couple parted. "'Cause we've gotta go. Come _on_."

"I waited," Rory told Amy, both seeming to ignore the Doctor. "Two thousand years, I waited for you."

"Oh, still shut up," Amy replied, planting her lips to his again as Olivia came up next to the Doctor with Amelia and he frowned at the couple.

"And break," he hoped of the couple, but when they continued kissing he urged, "And _breathe_!"

"Well, _somebody_ didn't get out much for two thousand years," Olivia muttered, trying to ignore the Dalek in the room and looking to the Doctor, adding, "And I don't hear _you_ complain when our tonsil hockey sessions go on for more than a minute."

"That's different," he retorted. "It's _you_."

He frowned when something tugged on his arm and he looked down at Amelia as she said, "I'm thirsty. Can I get a drink?"

"Oh, it's all _mouths_ today, isn't it?!" the Doctor frowned, placing the fez on her head but as she grinned she pulled the hat from her head and shoved it back into his hands. Olivia couldn't help but giggle at the exchange before she noticed the Doctor looking at the Pandorica in thought. "The light. The light from the Pandorica, it must've hit the Dalek."

Olivia froze when she noticed the Dalek's eyes slowly lighting up and the sound of electronic whirring, proving the Doctor's theory right.

"Out, out, out!" the Doctor shouted, sending all of them into a run, but he had to grab Olivia's and drag her in the opposite direction. The group passed a door which Rory and the Doctor shut and tried to seal it with the Sonic.

"So, two thousand years," the Doctor asked Rory. "How'd you do?"

"Kept out of trouble," Rory replied.

"Oh," the Doctor murmured, looking at the fez before placing it on his head and stepping to the side to grab something. "How?"

"Unsuccessfully," Rory muttered, stepping toward the girls as the Doctor grabbed a mop and stepped toward the door. "The mop! That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the Sonic."

"Ah!" the Doctor chirped, tapping at the manipulator on his wrist. "Well, no time to lose then."

Olivia gasped when he disappeared then reappeared a second later, saying, "Oops, sorry."

He shoved the mop into the handle of the door to keep the Dalek at bay while Amelia tugged on Olivia's hand, catching her attention.

"How can he do that? Is he magic?" she asked, making Olivia laugh slightly before the Doctor disappeared then reappeared again.

"Right, let's go then," he urged, as he ran around the corner and up the stairs, the other's following before he stopped and whirled around, saying, "Wait! Now I don't have the Sonic. I just gave it to Rory two thousand years ago. Liv, do you have yours?"

"Melted in a Cyberhead," she replied with a slight shrug of apology before he disappeared, then reappeared and hurried toward Amy to pull his Sonic from her top pocket.

"Off we go! Wait…" he trailed off before leaning toward Amelia, asking, "How do _you_ know to come here?"

Amelia pulled out the brochure for the museum and a post-it and held it up for him to examine.

"Ah, my handwriting," he grinned before running to gather his supplies then disappear but he soon reappeared with a drink in his hand and handed it to Amelia. "There you go. Drink up."

"What _is_ that?" Amy questioned as the Doctor ran back up the stairs, taking Olivia's hand to pull her with him. "How are you doing that?"

"Vortex manipulator," Olivia replied as they both turned on the stairs to face the three. "The Doctor would say, cheap and nasty time travel."

"Very bad for you," the Doctor added. "I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked.

"The roof," he replied, but when he and Olivia turned to lead them up the stairs, they froze when the Doctor appeared, fez-less and looking raggedy at the top stair before falling and tumbling down the stairs to their feet.

"Oh, my God," Olivia breathed as the Doctor hurried toward himself to scan him with the Sonic.

"Doctor, it's _you_," Rory noticed. "How can it be _you_?"

"Doctor, is that you?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, it's me," he murmured as Olivia watched them in slight panic. "Me from the future."

Olivia gasped when the future Doctor suddenly leaned up and whispered something into the present Doctor's ear, then rested back down on the floor and shut his eyes, making the group glance at each other.

"Are you…" Amy tried as they all stared at the two Doctors. "I mean, is he…Is he dead?"

"What?" the Doctor murmured before turning and standing to face his friends and Olivia watched him carefully as he resumed, "Dead? Yes, yes. Of course he's dead. Right! I've got twelve minutes. That's good."

Olivia frowned in wonder at him as he grabbed her hand and dragged her after him up the stairs.

"Wait, Doctor, twelve minutes?" she asked him, making him stop to look at her. "Twelve minutes…to _live_? How is that _good_?"

"Oh, you can do _loads_ in twelve minutes," he replied. "Suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, the roof!"

"We can't leave you here, dead!" Rory insisted, kneeling over the future Doctor.

"Oh, good!" the Doctor retorted. "Are you in charge now? So, tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?"

They all frowned before looking to the spot where Amelia had been standing only to see the drink on the floor.

"Where'd she go?" Amy asked as Rory hurried down the stairs and called for her.

"There is no Amelia," the Doctor explained. "From now on there never was. History is still collapsing."

"Like the soldier that was holding me back," Olivia murmured, making the Doctor look to her in wonder. "He was one of the…fossils in time or whatever. He was holdig me then suddenly disappeared."

"Exactly," he nodded. "He stopped existing."

"How can _I_ still be here if _she's_ not?" Amy wondered, she and Rory meeting the Doctor on the stairs again.

"You're an anomaly," the Doctor replied. "We _all_ are. We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm, but the _eye_ is closing, and if we don't do something fast, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is…a result. Now come on!"

The Doctor dragged Olivia after him and down the hall as she glanced at him a few times before muttering, "You lied to them. I've seen you die before. You don't just _die_ like that, you regenerate. Why did you lie to them?"

"Move it!" he shouted over his shoulder at Amy and Rory. "Come on!"

"Theta," she tried again, making him finally stop and look at her, still holding her hand. "Why?"

"Because I _had_ to," he replied, making her frown but he only turned to drag her down the hall. "Not now, Mrs. Sigma."

Olivia couldn't help but smile before nodding, "As you wish, Mr. Sigma."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	42. An Exploding TARDIS

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 42: An Exploding TARDIS**_

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand to pull her up the ladder and onto the roof after him, Amy and Rory behind her as she followed the Doctor across the roof.

"What, it's morning already?" Amy frowned in wonder. "How did that happen?"

"History is shrinking," the Doctor replied, staring at the sun. "Is anybody _listening_ to me? Universe is collapsing. We don't have much time left."

"What are you doing?" Rory wondered as the three watched the Doctor use the Sonic on a pole with a satellite dish attached to it.

"Looking for the TARDIS," the Doctor replied, still working.

"But the TARDIS exploded," Rory recalled as the Doctor pulled the dish from its base.

"Ok, then I'm looking for an _exploding_ TARDIS," he retorted, rushing to the edge of the roof with the dish.

"I don't understand," Amy called. "So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. But why would it do that? How?"

"Good question for another day," the Doctor replied. "The question for now is: Total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one single one of them ever shone. So, if all the stars that ever were are gone, then _what_…is _that_?" He used his Sonic to point at the sun and the three stared at it, Olivia's eyes widening in realization. "Like I said, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"But that's the sun," Rory argued.

"Is it?" the Doctor retorted, lifting the dish ad his Sonic toward the ball of fire in the sky. "Well, here's the noise that sun is making right now."

They all heard the telltale sound of the TARDIS engines coming through the dish.

"Doctor," Olivia breathed, standing at his feet as he stood on the ledge of the building. "It's the TARDIS!"

"Yes," he murmured, unmoving. "That's my TARDIS burning up. That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

"Doctor, there's something else," Rory reported. "There's a voice."

Olivia looked to the Doctor as he adjusted the setting on the Sonic and used it on the dish again, making a voice come through the dish, chanting, "I'm sorry, my love."

"It's River!" Olivia gasped. "She's still alive!"

"How can _she_ be up there?" Amy wondered.

"It must be like a recording or something," Rory guessed.

"No, it's not a recording," the Doctor replied, lowering his arms. "Of _course_. The emergency protocols! The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a Time Loop to save her."

"She's at the heart of the explosion," Olivia realized as the Doctor jumped off the ledge and in front of her.

"I'll be right back," he assured her, tapping at the Vortex Manipulator on his wrist. "Don't wander off. And keep this lot from wandering off. Be back in a jiff."

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pressing the button on the manipulator and he disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Amy questioned, but before Olivia could answer, as she turned the Doctor instantly reappeared behind them, River standing next to him with her arm around his, touching the manipulator.

"Amy!" River called, making the couple turn as Olivia hurried toward them, but River added in confusion, "And the plastic Centurion?"

"He's on our side, now," Olivia told her, throwing her arms around her in a tight hug, making her chuckle.

"I dated a Nestene Duplicate once," River smirked as Olivia stepped next to her and River gave her a wink as she continued, "Swappable head. It did keep things fresh."

"I'll bet," Olivia smirked.

"Right, then," River resumed. "I have questions. But number one is this…" She looked to the Doctor, questioning, "What in the name of sanity have you got on your _head_?"

Olivia couldn't help but snicker, making the Doctor give her a frown before turning back to River.

"It's a fez," he replied. "I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."

River and Amy exchanged a glance before Amy grabbed the fez from his head and tossed it into the air, River drawing her gun and blasting it to shreds that fluttered over the ledge of the building.

"Exterminate!"

They all stared in horror as the Dalek they had been running from hovered slowly up over the ledge of the building, making Olivia scream. The Doctor grabbed Olivia's shoulders and shoved her toward River who grabbed her hand as she, Amy and Rory ran back toward the ladder leading into the museum. The Doctor grabbed the dish he'd been using and held it up toward the Dalek as it began shooting, effectively shielding the group from the shoots. They all climbed down the ladder and the Doctor shut the door behind them, using the Sonic to try sealing it as River stood at the bottom of the stairs, aiming her gun at the door in case the Dalek burst through.

"Doctor, please, come on," Olivia shuddered, spooked by the Dalek as she clung to River's arm.

"Sh," the Doctor replied, not moving away from the door as he listened then started climbing down. "It's moving away, finding another way in. It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."

"How do you know?" Rory asked as the Doctor rushed down the stairs.

"Because that's when it's due to kill me," he replied before shooting down the stairs, making River whip her head toward him as she lowered her gun.

"Kill you?!" she questioned as they all headed down the stairs. "What do you mean _kill_ you?"

"Oh, shut up, never mind," the Doctor dismissed.

"How can that Tin Can even exist?" Olivia questioned as they made their way back into the halls of the museum. "It was erased from history, wasn't it? How did it come _back_?"

"He said the light from the Pandorica—" Rory recalled.

"It's not a light," the Doctor cut in. "It's a restoration field, but never mind. Call it a light."

"That _light_ brought Amy back," Olivia recalled. "It restored _her_, but how can it bring back a Dalek when they've never existed?"

"Ok, tell us," Amy prompted either Olivia or the Doctor.

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse," the Doctor explained. "A Time Explosion. And that explosion blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. _Except_…"

He turned and looked to Amy who hesitantly replied, "Except…inside the Pandorica."

"The perfect prison," the Doctor smirked. "And inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In _theory_ you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like…like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

"No, no," Rory replied, shaking his head. "Too fast, I'm not getting it."

"I think I do," Olivia chimed in, looking to Rory. "The Pandorica contains a memory of the universe, and the restoration field _transmits_ the memory."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "And _that's_ how we're gonna do it."

"Do what?" Amy questioned.

"Relight the fire," he smirked between them. "Reboot the universe. Come on!"

"Doctor you're being _completely_ ridiculous!" River called after him as the Doctor hurried down the hall, she and Olivia following him before Amy and Rory went after the three as well.

"Why is he ridiculous?" Olivia frowned. "What'd I miss?"

"The Pandorica _partially_ restored _one_ Dalek," River continued. "If it can't even reboot a single _life_ _form_ properly, how's it gonna reboot the whole of reality?"

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor replied. "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"

"Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we _can't_, because it's completely impossible," River shot back.

"No, you see, it's not," the Doctor argued gently before looking to Olivia and smirking, "It's _almost_ completely impossible." He looked back to River. "One spark is all we need."

"For what?" Olivia questioned, raising her hand, waving it and adding, "Still in the dark here!"

"Big bang two," the Doctor smiled at her.

Olivia screamed when something hit the Doctor and he jerked in pain before falling to the floor, both she and River kneeling over him.

"Get back!" Rory called, rushing Amy toward cover. "River! Olivia! Get back now!"

"Exterminate!" the Dalek shouted, and Rory used the gun in his hand to shoot at the thing, making it shut down.

"Doctor," River shuddered as he trembled on the floor. "Doctor, it's me, River. Can you hear me?"

"Doctor, say something," Olivia shuddered as well, panic thick in her voice before she noticed his hand moving to the manipulator on his wrist. "What is it? What do you need? What are you doing?"

Without a word he suddenly disappeared, making the women gasp before they looked to each other and River questioned Olivia, "Where did he go?"

Olivia opened her mouth to reply but her voice caught in her throat, and River took her silence as an admission that she didn't know as she stood.

"Damn it, he could be anywhere."

"He went downstairs twelve minutes ago," Amy replied, catching River's attention.

"Show me!" she demanded.

"River…he died," Amy confessed just as they all heard the whirring of the Dalek coming back to life.

"Systems restoring," the Dalek called, making Olivia shoot to her feet and back away from it, stopping one step behind River. "You will be exterminated!"

"We've gotta move," Rory reported. "That thing's coming back to life."

"You go to the Doctor," River told them. "I'll be right with you."

Without argument, Amy and Rory shot toward the stairs where they had seen the Doctor twelve minutes ago as Olivia remained with River, both glaring at the Dalek as it rolled toward them.

"You will be exterminated!" the Dalek shouted.

"Not yet," River argued, pulling her gun from its holster again. "Your systems are still restoring which means your shield density is compromised. One Alpha Mezon burst through your eyestalk would kill you stone dead."

"Records indicate you will show mercy," the Dalek countered as it stopped, River changing the setting on her weapon. "You are associates of the Doctor."

"I'm River Song," she smiled sardonically, lifting her weapon and taking aim. "Check your records again."

"Mercy!" the Dalek shouted.

"Say it again."

"Mercy!"

"One…more…time."

"_Mercy_!"

"What do you think, Mrs. Sigma?" River wondered, neither one of them taking their eyes off the Dalek. "Mercy?"

Olivia stared at the Dalek, the thing she'd feared most with nothing but rage running through her blood, and though she knew the Doctor couldn't have been dead, it didn't matter.

"_No_ mercy, Doctor Song," she ground out before turning to head after Amy and Rory.

The shot rang out behind her, but she didn't break her stride as she heard Amy and Rory calling for the Doctor, River soon coming up next to her.

"But he _was_ dead," Amy told Rory.

"Who told you that?" River questioned the couple, catching their attention as she and Olivia stepped down the stairs in unison.

"_He_ did," Amy replied.

"Rule one: The Doctor lies," Olivia shot back.

"Where's the Dalek?" Amy asked.

"It died," River replied.

They all burst into a run back to the Pandrica room and found the Doctor slumped in the chair inside it. Amy and Rory stopped a few feet away while Olivia and River both ran toward him, both looking him over to make sure he was still alive.

"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory wondered.

"We were a diversion," Amy guessed. "Long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."

"Doctor, can you hear us?" Olivia called, smoothing his mussed hair from his face.

"What were you doing?" River called to him as well, looking around the inside of the box.

"What's happening?" Rory questioned suddenly as the light in the room began to darken.

"Reality's collapsing," River explained, looking outside the box, but Olivia kept her attention on the Doctor. "It's speeding up. Look at this room."

"Where'd everything go?" Amy wondered as they noticed all the exhibits were now empty.

"History is being erased," Olivia called back.

"Time's running out," River agreed as she knelt closer to the Doctor. "Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us!"

Both women watched as he sat back in the chair and exhaled before breathing, "Big…bang…two."

"The Big Bang," Rory echoed. "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings us back?" Amy wondered. "Is that what you mean?"

"Oh…" River breathed in realization, making Olivia look up at her in wonder.

"What?" she frowned.

"The TARDIS is still burning," River explained. "It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica _into_ the explosion, _right_ into the heart of the fire…"

"Then what?" Amy asked when she trailed off.

"Let there be light," Olivia realized, meeting River's gaze when she looked at her. "Like the TARDIS, the light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere. Every point in history."

"And that would work?" Amy questioned. "That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history," River smiled in awe. "Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work."

"He's wired the Vortex Manipulator to the box," Olivia shuddered in realization, seeing the exposed wires running from the thing on his wrist to somewhere in the Pandorica.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"So he can take it with him," Olivia replied before swallowing. "He's gonna fly it into the heart of TARDIS explosion."

"Amy…" the Doctor murmured and River nodded in understanding, glancing to Olivia before turning to speak to Amy and Rory. Olivia didn't move as the Doctor looked to her, tears gathering in her eyes. "Liv…"

"No," she shuddered. "You're not gonna talk this time. _I'm_ gonna talk. You'll be at the heart of this explosion, which means all the cracks will close but you'll be trapped in the Void. We'll forget you. So I don't care what you tell me, I'm going with you. No matter if we're forgotten or dead or I don't know what, I'm gonna be there with you, whether you like it or not!"

She stared up at the Doctor, tears falling down her cheeks as he stared back at her and, with some effort, pushed himself to lean slightly toward her.

"No, Liv," he murmured, his voice raw and weak. "You're not going with me. You can't."

Olivia's looked away in helplessness before shuddering, "Why not?!"

"Because I need you here to remember me," he whispered, making her look up at him in sorrow. "I'm going to tell Amy the same thing. You _both_ have to remember me. If you both remember me, I have a chance."

"How can you know I'll remember you?"

"Because, Olivia, you're one of the cleverest girls I know. Advanced physics, Torchwood Employee, figured out how to drive the TARDIS on her own, saved me out of few scrapes."

Olivia scoffed through a sniffle before adding, "_More_ than a few."

"Exactly," he whispered, taking her left hand to touch the ring on her ring finger and twirling it over her finger. "I'm sorry we can't have the wedding before I go."

Olivia lifted her hands to his face, gently cupping his cheeks as she met his gaze, whispering, "We'll have it when you get back."

"Kiss for luck?" he hoped, making her smile sadly before she moved closer and pressed her lips to his in a tender kiss. "Remember me, sweet Liv."

"I could never forget you, Theta," she whispered before sensing Amy behind her and moving away to stand next to her as the Doctor spoke to her.

"Hi," Amy whispered to the Doctor, making him smile up at her, weakly.

"Amy Pond," he murmured. "The Girl Who Waited all night in your garden. Was it worth it?"

"Shut up, of course it was," Amy shot back, softly.

"You asked me why I was taking you with me, and I said, 'No reason.' I was lying."

"It's not important."

"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe. It's why I'm doing this. Amy, your house was too big. That _big_, empty house. Just you."

"And Aunt Sharon."

"Where were your mum and dad? Where was everybody who lived in that big house?"

"I _lost_ my mum and dad."

"How? What happened to them? Where did they go?"

Olivia looked to Amy as she sputtered, "I-I don't…"

"It's ok," the Doctor assured her. "It's ok. Don't panic. It's not your fault."

"I don't even remember," Amy breathed in realization.

"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom, and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now. Amy Pond, all alone. The girl who didn't make sense. How could I resist?"

"How could I just forget?" Amy shuddered, making Olivia step toward her to wrap an arm around her shoulders, comforting her.

"Nothing is ever forgotten," the Doctor reminded her. "Not really. But you have to _try_."

The ground shook beneath them, rumbling sounding around them, alerting all three of them.

"Doctor!" River called. "It's speeding up!"

He reached out and took a hand each on them and pulled them close to tell them, "There's gonna be a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family, Amy, and they'll be there."

"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy questioned.

"Because you're special," he replied as their foreheads touched. "That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back. You can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there."

Olivia pulled Amy back as the shaking intensified and Amy said, "_You_ won't."

"You'll have your family back," he told her as the chair restraints came down over his shoulders and wrists. "You won't need your imaginary friend anymore. Amy Pond, crying over me eh? Guess what."

"What?"

"Gotcha."

Both girls swallowed as the doors to the Pandorica shut and Olivia pulled Amy toward the far side of the room, River and Rory running after them. They all watched the box lift off and shoot into the sky toward the exploding TARDIS and a moment after it launched out of their sight, River's handheld buzzed.

"It's from the Doctor," she told them.

"What does it say?" Amy asked as River and Olivia looked to the message.

Olivia and River exchanged a small smile before Olivia read the message aloud.

"Geronimo."

* * *

The Doctor's eyes shot open before he instantly sat up from lying on his back and looked around, taking in his familiar surroundings.

"Ah!" he hummed as he looked around the TARDIS. "Ok. I escaped, then. Brilliant. I _love_ it when I do that." He looked down at himself. "Legs, yes. Bowtie…" His hand shot up to grab it, "…cool." He lifted his hand to his head and sneered before shrugging, "I can buy a fez."

"Now, the beach! The beach is the best!" he suddenly heard his own voice call, making him frown. "Automatic sand!"

"Automatic sand?" Amy echoed incredulously as he stood to look toward the console from his hiding spot. "What does that mean?"

"Obviously that it's automated," Olivia replied, sarcastically.

"It cleans up the lolly sticks all by itself," the Doctor at the console explained.

He watched himself and Olivia run around the console, operating the TARDIS as Amy leaned on the railing dressed for the beach.

"No, hang on. Wait. That's last week when we went to Space Florida. I'm rewinding. My time stream…unraveling, erasing…closing."

Sensing something behind him he turned to be met with the Crack as it shrunk, closing on the TARDIS wall.

"Hello, Universe. Goodbye, Doctor."

He turned back to look at himself, Olivia and Amy and on a whim called, "Amy?"

His eyes widened when she turned and looked around in wonder at the TARDIS, making the wheels in his head turn.

Before he could address it he felt himself be pulled away and suddenly found himself standing on a familiar street. Hearing a cat meow from behind him he spun around to see Amy stepping toward a paper shop.

"Ah," he hummed. "Three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window. Amy! I need to tell you something!"

She looked in his direction but seemed not to see him as she stepped away from the cat she was petting.

"She can hear me," he realized. "But if she can hear me…"

His thought trailed off as he turned, sensing the Crack behind him, and when he saw it closing, it pulled him in, taking him back until he was standing in a huge room with a pool.

"The TARDIS swimming pool," he murmured with a frown of wonder.

He heard a familiar laugh and turned to see himself and Olivia heading toward the door across the pool. His hearts clenched at the thought of never seeing her again after the cracks closed, but when a thought crossed his mind he couldn't keep himself from calling out to her.

"Liv!" he called and his hearts leapt when he saw her stop and turn, recalling that was when she'd said she thought she heard her name. Now he knew it was him, and it gave him even more hope just before he turned to the Crack and it pulled him farther back into his timeline.

He suddenly found himself leaning against rocks…another familiar setting as he heard his voice talking to someone else.

"Good luck, everyone," he heard himself say as he stood to peek out of his hiding place. "Behave. Do _not_ let that girl open her eyes. Amy, later! River, going to need your computer!"

He watched himself head toward River and away from Olivia and Amy sitting on a rock. He waited for Olivia to go after him before inching out of his spot, avoiding the clerics around Amy to take her hands as they fidgeted in her lap.

"Amy," he murmured. "You need to start trusting me. It's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth," she replied.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me," he smirked.

"Doctor," she whispered. "The crack in my wall. How can it be _here_?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out," he replied, hurriedly before glancing to himself and Olivia as they shared a kiss for luck, telling him he didn't have much more time then looked back at Amy. "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?" she wondered.

"No," he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers. "That's not the point. You _have_ to remember."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left her, ignoring her as she called out to him and finding the Crack closing. It pulled him farther back into his time stream until he was standing in a familiar house, glancing around in wonder.

"Amelia's house," he realized, looking to his watch. "When she was seven. The night she waited."

He made his way out of the house and into the yard to find little Amelia Pond lying on the ground over her suitcase and he smiled down at her.

"The Girl Who Waited," he smirked, leaning over to pick her up, murmuring, "Come here, you."

He lifted her in his arms and carried her back toward the house, pulling off her hat and coat to tuck her into bed. He sighed as he sat heavily in the chair next to her bed, looking her over as she slept.

"It's funny," he breathed. "I thought if you could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad…and you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little. Me _and_ Liv. We'll be a story in your head. But that's ok. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? 'Cause it was, you know. It was the _best_. A daft old man with his _brilliant_ companion who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well, I _borrowed_ it. I was always gonna take it back. Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time, brand new and ancient, and the _bluest_ blue ever. And the times we had, eh? _Would_ have had…_never_ had. In your dreams they'll still be there. The Doctor, Olivia Felton and Amy Pond. And the days that never came."

He couldn't help the tears that came to his eyes and the lump that came to his throat as he spoke before he looked up to the wall where the crack was shrinking.

"The cracks are closing," he murmured. "But they can't close properly until I'm on the other side. I don't belong here anymore." He gave a sniffle as he stood, saying, "I think I'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats." He leaned toward Amelia to kiss her cheek, whispering, "Live well. Love Rory. Bye-bye, Pond."

He stood and stepped toward the crack.

* * *

**A/N:** I had so much fun killing that Dalek LOL. reviews?


	43. A Wedding to Remember

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 43: A Wedding to Remember**_

Olivia stirred in her bed as she awoke with California sunlight bursting through her window, making her groan and turn over. She frowned again when she caught a scent on the air then grinned when she recognized it. Joyce was cooking.

"Olivia!" Her grin widened at hearing Aaron call to her from the living room. "Breakfast, Sleepyhead!"

She threw the covers off her legs to swing them over the edge of her bed. She stood and was about to head toward the door when her foot tapped something on the floor, making her stop with a frown of wonder and look down.

"What's my scrapbook doing out _here_?" she murmured to herself, leaning down to pick it up.

Feeling nostalgic she flipped through it, looking at all the pictures she'd put in it but frowned at a few blank pages between her pictures of the Torchwood Three Team. There was Jack, Ianto and Gwen, but other pages were blank where she thought she had put something there and she couldn't remember what. A tear suddenly fell to one of the pages, making her frown and wipe her cheek where the tear had trickled down from her eye.

She was sad. _Incredibly_ sad. _Intolerably_ sad. So sad that her heart was clenching with sorrow at the fact that whatever she thought she'd put on the pages of her scrapbook was now missing.

Trying to shake it away she knelt down to open her Treasure Chest at the foot of her bed and put the book away, but when she opened it, panic took over. There were items missing. Which items she wasn't sure, but they were _definitely_ missing.

"Mom!" she shouted, still rummaging through her chest.

"What is it, Olivia?" Joyce asked, stepping into the room, but she didn't look away from the chest. "Your pancakes are getting cold."

That made her freeze and stand to whirl on her mother.

"Pancakes?" she murmured, looking to the plate in Joyce's hands.

"Yeah," Joyce smiled, holding the plate toward her. "Banana pancakes. Your favorite!"

"Not…_my_ favorite…" Olivia recalled before looking to her scrapbook still in her hand.

"Olivia, what's the matter?" Joyce frowned in wonder, making Olivia shoot her gaze to her, tears coming to her eyes again.

"They're not…_my_ favorite," she shuddered. "They were…_his_."

"Who's, dear?" Joyce frowned in wonder. "Olivia, why are you crying?"

"Liv!" Aaron called again, making her stiffen as he came to the door. "Whoa! What's with the water works?"

"What did you call me?" she breathed, making him frown.

"Liv," he shrugged. "I've always called you that."

"No you haven't," she argued. "Only _one_ person calls me that, and it's not _you_."

"Oh, don't tell me you're talking about _him_ again," Joyce sighed, setting the plate on the low dresser next to the door before stepping toward Olivia to set her hands on her daughter's shoulders, looking her in the eye. "Look, it's been five years. You went to Torchwood and that was all well and good, but it's time to let this go."

Olivia glanced between Joyce and Aaron incredulously before a sound reached her ears. A sound she knew all too well.

"Doctor!" she called, looking around the room and making Joyce sigh, setting her head in her hand as Olivia ran to her bed to look out the window and into the backyard. "Doctor?"

"Olivia," Aaron called, making her look to him with wide eyes as he wrapped an arm around Joyce's shoulders. "You're upsetting your mother."

The doorbell ringing made Olivia scramble off her bed, rush out of the bedroom and run down the stairs to throw the door open.

"Doctor!" she grinned, but her grin fell to a wide eyed stare.

"Not quite," River smiled, then frowned as she looked her up and down. "You're not wearing _that_ to Amy and Rory's wedding, are you?"

* * *

_Ledworth..._

"But they won't know who I am," Olivia guessed as River drove them to Amy and Rory's reception. "It was one thing for me to watch their ceremony, but if I go into that reception hall, they're _gonna_ notice me, and probably ask who I am. I met them through the Doctor and right now the Doctor doesn't exist."

"All you have to do is give them this, and sit near the window," River instructed, handing her blue diary to Olivia. "Amy will do the rest."

"It's blank," Olivia breathed, flipping through the diary.

"Yes," River nodded, making a turn. "Just like those few pages in your scrapbook were blank, but it'll all go back to normal once Amy remembers."

"What if she doesn't?" Olivia shuddered, making River glance at her as the green-eyed woman stared down at the empty pages of the diary. "What if…he's lost forever, River? What am I—? What are _we_ going to do without him?"

The car came to a slow stop and River put it in park before shifting in her seat to look Olivia in the eye.

"Amy said that I told you about the Pandorica opening in my future, yes?" River asked, making Olivia look up at her in wide-eyed wonder, but she nodded before River smiled, "I have to get back to that Storm Cage somehow, don't I?"

Olivia gave a small laugh before nodding again and unbuckled her seat belt, holding onto the book.

"You look gorgeous, Mrs. Sigma," River smiled, making Olivia smile back.

"Wish me luck, Doctor Song."

* * *

_The Reception..._

"Ladies and gentlemen," a man announced in the bustling room of laughing, chatting people, as Amy and Rory sat with their families at the long table, facing their guests. "The father of the bride. Augustus Pond!"

Glasses clinked and everyone cheered as the man sitting next to Amy stood with a paper and pen.

"Sorry everyone," Augustus called. "I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects."

Everyone laughed as Amy pretended to hide a blush as she laughed as well, looking to Rory and her mother.

"Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute _death_ of me," her mother complained. "Unless, of course, I strike preemptively."

Amy laughed again before looking up to a corner of the room to see a woman standing next to the window, her medium length, ink black hair was swept into a loose bun of waves at the nape of her neck, and when she turned her gaze toward Amy, her eyes were a glowing jade green, with an underlying sparkle of something else in her gaze. Some sort of mystery. Her dress was a chiffon halter with no back and a skirt with a hem that started at her knees and flowed longer toward the back, nearly to her ankles…and it was an unmistakable shade of blue.

Amy's gaze was drawn from the intriguing girl in blue when she caught movement in the window and her eyes followed the woman in black when she saw her, blonde curls bouncing as she walked and a smirk over her pink lips that showed in her green eyes. Seeing both women made Amy stand as she stared out the window, then looked to the woman in blue, ignoring everyone murmuring for a moment as Rory looked up at her in wonder.

"Amy?" he tried, drawing her gaze to him. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she murmured before sitting again, muttering, "I'm…fine."

Rory watched her, seeing a tear fall over her cheek as she sat and pointed out, "Right…uh, you're crying."

Amy sniffled, touching her fingers to her cheek, replying, "So I am. Why am I dong that?"

"Because, you're _happy_, probably," Rory smiled, hopefully. "Happy Mrs. Rory. Happy, happy, happy."

"No," Amy shook her head slightly. "I'm sad. I'm really, really sad."

"Great," Rory choked out, nervously.

"Why am I sad?" Amy wondered, making Rory shrug before she looked to the blue book in front of him. "What's that?"

Rory looked confused for a moment before following her gaze to the book, handing it to her and replying, "Oh, uh, someone left it for you. A woman…in blue."

"But what _is_ it?" she demanded, snatching it from him and flipping through it.

"It's a book."

"It's blank."

"It's a present."

"But _why_?"

"Well, you know the old saying," Rory tried, looking to her with a smile but she stared back with teary eyes. "The old…wedding…thing."

Her gaze slowly turned to the book, unseeing before she looked ahead at the crowd as her father stood.

"Ready now," he laughed. "Sorry about that."

She didn't hear her father as she noticed a young man adjust his bowtie, then her gaze turned to an older gentleman that moved his jacket to show off suspenders. Lastly, her eyes drifted back to the girl in blue who met her gaze with a knowing smirk, a tear falling from Amy's cheek and onto the book in her lap.

"Shut up, dad," Amy snapped, standing and staring ahead, not seeing the crowd.

"Amy?" Rory asked.

"Amelia?" her father questioned.

"Sorry, but shut up, please," she replied. "There's someone missing. Someone important. Someone so, _so_ important."

"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory wondered, firmly.

"Sorry," she said again before clearing her throat as her father sat again. "Sorry everyone. But when I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend."

"Oh, no," her mother sighed. "Not this again."

"The Raggedy Doctor," Amy continued. "_My_ Raggedy Doctor. But he wasn't imaginary. He was real, and so was his companion."

"The psychiatrists we sent her to," her mother sighed again.

"I remember you!" Amy called. "I remember! I brought the others back. I can bring you home, too. Raggedy Man, I remember you, and you are _late_ for my wedding!"

The room suddenly started shaking slightly and a mysterious gust of wind blew through the room as Amy continued, "I found you. I found you in _words_ like you _knew_ I would. That's why you told me the story: The brand new, ancient, blue box. Oh, clever, _very_ clever."

"Amy?" Rory questioned. "What is it?"

"Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something _blue_."

The TARDIS engines whirred as it materialized in the center of the dance floor, drawing everyone's gaze.

"It's the Doctor!" Rory realized. "How did we forget the Doctor?"

Amy hiked her dress up and climbed over the table to hurry toward the blue box and knock on the door.

"Ok, Doctor," she called. "Did I surprise you this time?"

The door swung open, revealing the Doctor in a black tuxedo, white shirt, white bowtie, white scarf and black top hat.

"Uh, yeah," he smirked. "Completely astonished. Never expected that." He stepped out of the TARDIS grinning, "How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing. Hello everyone! I'm Amy's imaginary friend! But I came anyway. Hang on! Where is she?" He spun around on his heel, eyeing everyone suspiciously, calling, "Olivia Felton! Show yourself!"

"What? You think I'd miss a party like this?"

They all looked to the window where the woman in the TARDIS blue dress and silver heels sauntered toward them with a smile, making the Doctor grin back. She hugged Amy first before the Doctor slid his arm around Olivia's waist to pull her close.

"Come here," he hummed with a smirk before planting his lips to hers for a quick, passionate kiss then released her with a smack. "Hello, Liv."

"Hello, Theta," she whispered through a huge grin of her own before he let her go and spun around to grin at Amy's father and shook his hand.

"You absolutely, _definitely_ may kiss the bride," Amy smirked, strutting toward the Doctor and actually puckered her lips but he placed a finger over her lips, standing a good distance from her.

"Amelia, from now on, I shall be leaving the…" he trailed off, taking his finger from her lips to wipe it on Rory's tuxedo jacket as he approached and continued, "…kissing duties to the brand new Mr. Pond."

"No," Rory objected as the Doctor shook his hand. "I'm not Mr. Pond. That's not how it works."

"Hate to break it to you, but…yeah it is," Olivia chimed in, taking the Doctor's arm and leaning her head on his shoulder with a smile.

"Yeah, it is," Rory agreed in resignation.

"Right then, everyone," the Doctor smiled, turning and holding Olivia's hand as he stepped toward the TARDIS. "I'll move my box. You're gonna need the space." He stopped at the door and grinned at her, "I only came for the dancing."

* * *

_Later..._

"You're terrible!" Amy laughed as she, Olivia and the Doctor danced in a circle together to Queen's _Crazy Little Thing Called Love_. "That is _embarrassing_!"

Olivia burst out laughing with Amy when the Doctor lifted his hands and moved them back and forth above his head in a ridiculous giraffe move. It wasn't long before the kids at the reception were imitating his every move and Olivia tried to escape his side when he urged her to imitate him as well, saying she looked too good to move like that. She sat with Amy and Rory as they sat at one of the tables, watching the Doctor dance with the kids.

"God, his moves got _worse_!" she laughed, making the newly-weds laugh heartily again. "He used to be better."

"He saves the _best_ moves for you," Amy called over the music, making Olivia give a wink before she noticed the Doctor hurry toward the DJ, making her frown in wonder. "What's he doing?"

"Who knows?" Olivia shrugged, picking up her drink next to take a sip. She froze when a familiar tune filled the room and she shot a wide-eyed gaze to the Doctor as he approached, bowing low in front of her and lifting a hand toward her.

"Olivia Felton," he smirked. "Dance with me?"

"Don't do it," Amy teased. "He'll embarrass you."

"I have to, Amy," Olivia replied, seriously as she set her glass down and took the Doctor's hand, throwing a smile at her. "It's our song."

The Doctor led her onto the floor with other couples as _Gravity_ by John Mayer filled the room, and when he stopped he turned to her, spinning her once before pulling her close with his other arm around her waist, her free hand resting on his shoulder.

"Having fun?" he hoped through a smile and she grinned back with a nod. "I promise, our wedding will be just as fun. _Smashing_, even."

She giggled when he leaned closer to give her an Eskimo kiss then pressed his lips to her cheek. They swayed to the music in comfortable silence, listening to the song for a moment before Olivia broke the silence.

"I didn't think we could bring you back," she shuddered, making him pull back enough to look into her jade eyes. "I was so scared that…you'd be lost forever. I kept thinking: What will I do if you were gone forever?"

He smiled warmly before pulling her close, his lips pressing against her hairline as he murmured, "You won't have to find out, Liv. Ever."

"I love you, Theta."

"I love you, sweet Liv."

The dancing continued until the crowd began thinning out and soon Amy and Rory were on the dance floor, Rory holding Amy's red heels in one hand as his arms were wrapped around her, both swaying to the slow song playing. The Doctor leaned on the door watching them, his arm around Olivia's shoulders as she leaned against him.

"Two thousand years," he smirked in awe. "The Boy Who Waited."

"And the Girl Who Waited," Olivia smiled. "I thought _I_ was the Girl Who Waited."

"Oh, no, no, no," he frowned, shaking his head slightly as he looked down at her and she turned a frown to him in wonder. "Why would you think _that_?"

"I _did_ wait for you for _four years_," she reminded him. "If I'm not that, then what am I?"

He smiled down at her before leaning close to her ear and whispering, "The Girl Who Never Let Me Go."

* * *

_Amy's Backyard..._

Olivia giggled as the Doctor dragged her toward the TARDIS where he'd parked it in Amy's backyard and she latched onto his arm when they reached the door, rapidly kissing his cheek as he tried to open it.

"Did you dance?" They both froze at the sound of the familiar voice behind them. "Well…you always dance at wedding, don't you?"

They both turned and Olivia leaned back on the door as the Doctor asked River, "_You_ tell _me_."

"Spoilers," she smirked, coming closer as he reached into his jacket pocket to pull out her diary and hand it to her.

"The writing's all back, but I didn't peek," he assured her as she took it.

"Neither did I," Olivia smiled as she reached into the Doctor's other pocket to pull out the Vortex Manipulator and examine it, then shook her head with a smirk, looking up at her to ask, "How did you get Jack's Vortex Manipulator? And I _know_ it's Jack's. I had to use it a couple of times."

"You really _don't_ want to know," she smirked, taking it and strapping it on.

"Are you married, River?" the Doctor asked.

"Are you asking?" she asked back.

"Yes," he replied, making Olivia frown between the two.

"Yes," River answered.

"No, hang on. Did you think I was asking you to marry me, or, or, or, asking if you _were_ married?"

"Yes."

"No, but was that 'Yes,' or '_Yes'_?"

"Yes," River whispered, and Olivia couldn't help but giggle at the scene. She imagined _she_ exasperated the Doctor as well.

"River," the Doctor sighed. "Who are you?"

"You're going to find out very soon now," River replied, making Olivia's smile fade as she saw a sad look in the other woman's eyes. "And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes."

With that, she pressed a button on the manipulator and disappeared, making the Doctor sigh before he turned to Olivia, taking her hand and pulling her into the TARDIS, letting go of her hand as they reached the console.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Olivia asked him as she leaned on the console, the Doctor pulling off his scarf and throwing it over her head to wrap it over her arms and pull her back into him, making her giggle as he kissed her cheek.

"No idea," he replied, whipping the scarf from around her to hang it on a hook on the console. "But we have _another_ wedding to get to. Ours. Where would you like to go, eh?"

"Oi!" They both jumped at the sound of Amy's voice from the door and looked to her as she demanded, "Where are _you_ off to, Doctor? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet."

"Amy!" Rory scolded, heading through the door behind her as she headed toward the console.

"Shut up!" Amy shot back. "It's my wedding."

"_Our_ wedding!" Rory reminded her.

"Oh, don't sweat it, Williams, you and me can have a go for revenge later," Olivia smirked, giving him a wink as he headed up the stairs toward the console as well.

"Sorry, you two," the Doctor cut in. "Shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?"

"You just saved the whole of space and time," Rory reminded him, stepping up to the three. "Take the evening off! Maybe a bit of tomorrow."

"Space and time isn't safe yet," the Doctor replied, starting to pace around the console. "The TARDIS exploded for a reason. _Something_ drew the TARDIS to this particular date and blew it up. Why?"

"Uh, Doctor, your phone's ringing," Olivia reported.

"And why now? The Silence…whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to—Excuse me a moment," he cut himself off to lift the phone and speak into it. "Hello! Oh, hello."

Olivia frowned as he paused to listen then replied, "I'm sorry, this is a very bad line." Pause. "No, no, no, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting." Pause. "Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian Goddess loose on the _Oriental Express_…in space. Give us a mo."

He lowered the phone and looked to the newly-weds, saying, "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

Olivia frowned again at him but her frown turned to Amy as the bride agreed, "Yeah, I think it's goodbye." She looked to Rory. "Do _you_ think it's goodbye?"

"_Definitely_ goodbye," he nodded and Olivia's frown deepened in confusion before it fell to a smile when Amy went to the door and shouted goodbye…to the world.

The Doctor smirked, putting the phone back to his ear and say, "Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty. We're on our way."

He hung up the phone as he and Olivia ran around the console to operate it, but when he came sailing up next to her he cringed as he stared at her.

"Um…Liv, about our wedding—"

"It can wait," she shrugged, genuinely grinning, "Let's go get that Goddess."

* * *

**A/N:** second to last chapter kids! i believe we have some unfinished business to take care of, don't you? reviews?


	44. A Very Doctor Wedding

**A/N:** last chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 44: A Very Doctor Wedding**_

In deep space, a huge ship floated and rolled, courseless and its engines dead, the words _Oriental Express_ painted on its side, now worn from travels through space. If you looked into one of its windows, you might have caught a glimpse of a man with a bowtie dragging a girl with black hair behind him and a red-head running after them with another man running after her.

"Open the door!" Olivia shouted as the four piled up outside a closed door that kept them from the safety of the next room.

"Wood!" the Doctor shouted back, frantically trying to use the Sonic on the door. "The interior is entirely made of _wood_, remember?!"

"You better do something, quick!" Amy urged.

"I got it," Olivia assured them, pulling a bobby pin from her hair and kneeling to pick the lock.

"Hurry," Rory hummed, urgently.

The three standing froze when they heard crashing in the room they'd just run out of before everything went quiet. Olivia still worked, but jumped when Amy screamed as the door on the other side of the room burst into splinters to reveal a very unhappy but gorgeous woman with black hair, glowing red eyes wearing expensive Egyptian clothing.

"Angry goddess," the Doctor blurted, tapping Olivia's head rapidly as she still worked. "Liv, angry goddess. Hurry _up_!"

"Somebody pull his hand from my head before I take it _off_," Olivia warned, making Amy smack the Doctor's hand away.

"Um, he's got a point," Rory chimed in. "She's coming!"

They panicked as the goddess marched toward them with unearthly speed, but just as it seemed like she was on them, Olivia pushed the door open and let Amy and Rory run in before shutting the door behind them, leaving the Doctor and herself in the room with the goddess.

"Ready?" she asked him, pulling her Sonic from her jacket.

"Always," he smirked, pulling his Sonic out as well.

They aimed their screwdrivers at the goddess, which made her stop.

"Now, Isis," the Doctor began. "You can either go back to the Seventh Obelisk, or be destroyed. I'd rather not do the destroying bit, but if I have to, I _will_."

"I'd take the deal, if I were you," Olivia chimed in, and Isis scoffed.

"And how will you destroy me?" Isis snapped with a wheezing voice. "With your little sonic devices? I am a _goddess_! My powers can render those puny wands _useless_!"

"Oh, no," the Doctor admitted, lowering his Sonic, Olivia doing the same. "Not with _these_."

"With _me_," Olivia smirked.

"See, you still have a connection to the Seventh Obelisk. A _psychic_ connection. If that connection were broken….you would be destroyed."

"Only someone with telepathic abilities may be a threat to me then," Isis smirked, confidently.

"Liv?"

"Yes, dear."

Olivia charged the goddess, grabbing her head with both hands and she instantly entered Isis' mind with the training Jack had given her, making her shout as Olivia gritted her teeth, almost in pain. Olivia immediately found the bond connecting Isis to the Seventh Obelisk and imagined herself grabbing onto it, making Isis shout again.

"_No_!"

"Doctor, I've got a hold of it," Olivia reported, her eyes shut tight.

The Doctor sauntered toward the two, looking into Isis' glowing eyes as she kept her gaze on him and he smirked, "Now, Isis, what's it going to be?"

* * *

_Later..._

"Theta, stop tossing that orb like that?" Olivia whispered as they stood in an outer room, Amy and Rory with them as the Doctor tossed the orb with what looked like a golden gas inside it from hand to hand. "You're gonna drop it and let her out all over again."

"No, I won't," he objected just before he almost dropped the orb but quickly caught it. Olivia gave an 'I told you so' look, crossing her arms as the Doctor straightened and cleared his throat. "Why don't _you_ hold onto it, dear?"

He handed her the orb which she took without a word before the doors in front of them opened to reveal a grand room, a red carpet leading to a throne where a very regal gentleman sat.

"That's our cue," Amy smirked, linking arms with Rory as the Doctor and Olivia did the same, her other hand holding the orb.

The Doctor strolled her down the red carpet toward the man in the throne, Amy and Rory right behind them and when they reached the bottom of the stairs, the four kneeled as the man in royal robes stood.

"Your Majesty, Matthias," the Doctor nodded, nudging Olivia and she lifted the orb. "My companion presents to you, the Egyptian Goddess, Isis. Trapped once more and ready for your judgment."

"Which will be dealt with in due time," Matthias nodded, gesturing to one of the servants standing with him that he take the orb from Olivia and as he did, Matthias continued, "For now, I would ask how I might repay you for what you have done."

"Oh, there's no need—"

"Actually, your majesty," Amy cut into the Doctor's refusal, standing and hurrying toward the king.

"Amy, what—?" Rory called in confusion but she was already whispering into Matthias' ear, making him grin and nod as Amy moved back again to stand next to Rory as three looked to her in wonder.

"Doctor," Matthias smirked, drawing all eyes to him as he lowered his hand to Olivia. She frowned and took it, letting him pull her to her feet as Rory and the Doctor stood as well when Matthias resumed, "Why did you not tell me you were engaged to your lovely companion here?"

"Well…you didn't ask," the Doctor retorted.

"Would you do me the honor of marrying the two of you, Doctor? As a thank you for your services here?" Matthias hoped, still holding Olivia's hand as she turned to the Doctor with a grin.

"Married on the _Oriental Express_! Doctor, it's _perfect_! Please say yes!" Olivia grinned, taking Matthias' hand in both of hers and standing next to him as she pleaded with the Doctor.

"It is _very_ like you, Doctor," Rory agreed, holding Amy's hand.

"_Very_ like you," Amy nodded in agreement as well, making him look to them with a frown before looking back to the silently pleading Olivia and sighing in defeat.

"Oh, alright!" he conceded, making Olivia squeak with happiness as she released Matthias to throw her arms around the Doctor who caught her with a chuckle.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she grinned, planting rapid kisses to his cheek before she turned to Matthias again. "And thank _you_, your majesty, for the offer."

"The pleasure is mine," he nodded back. "Now, compile the guest list and we shall collect them wherever they may be while you all prepare yourselves. We shall reconvene here when you are ready."

* * *

_One hour later..._

"Oh, my god, Olivia you look _gorgeous_!" Amy grinned as she stood next to her, a grin over her face. "Your mum is gonna be so excited when she sees you!"

"Thanks, Amy," Olivia smiled, before looking to the mirror as they stood in an inner room of the TARDIS wardrobe. She nearly burst into tears at the sight of herself in the mirror but she dare not ruin her makeup.

The TARDIS had chosen the perfect dress for her. It had a mermaid form, covered in white chiffon with embroidered flowers along the hem and train that trailed a foot or so behind her. Layers of chiffon started at the thighs and trailed down to the floor while the top layer covered the entire dress from the jeweled collar to the hem. The jeweled collar wrapped all the way around her neck, holding two chiffon straps running from it, down the back to the sides of the backless dress which stopped mid-back in a slight V. Her hair was pulled to the side, below her ear so that her inky black tresses fell in curls over her left shoulder, a pale blue bowtie hair band sitting in her hair, and her makeup was simple, the only thing truly standing out being her lips, painted ruby red.

Amy was in a TARDIS blue dress of chiffon, not unlike the dress Olivia had worn to _her_ wedding, silver shoes and her hair was worn as she had worn it at her wedding, but she also wore a bowtie hair band.

"Amy, you look wonderful," Olivia grinned, turning to her and away from a mirror just as they heard a buzzing sound next to them, making them look toward the sound with a start.

"River!" Amy grinned.

"Mom! Aaron!" Olivia grinned as well as the two she had named looked around in astonishment before looking at her.

"Whoa! Serious?!" Aaron smirked, stepping toward Olivia to circle her and look her over. "You didn't tell us the Doctor proposed!"

"That's 'cause at the time, _you_ didn't remember he even existed," Olivia replied, making him frown at her in confusion before she shook her head, holding a hand to him, muttering, "Don't ask."

"Oh, my god," Joyce breathed, stepping toward her daughter and taking her hands. "Olivia, you look _stunning_!"

"Thanks mom," Olivia smiled, feeling tears come to her eyes, but she quickly began fanning her face.

"Oh, no, darling, don't cry!" Joyce urged, fanning her as well. "Your makeup will run!"

"I can't help it mom!" Olivia grinned, trying to keep her tears at bay. "I'm overwhelmed!"

She looked up at River when she was suddenly beside her and offering a small smile, River murmured, "You do look fabulous."

"Thanks, River," Olivia smiled with a sniffle. "You're sure this isn't weird?"

"Not at all," River smiled with a shake of her head before pulling off the lack trench coat she was wearing to reveal a dress matching Amy's, making Olivia grin. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Wait! Mom and Aaron need something to wear!" Olivia insisted.

"Oh, and what am I? Chopped liver?!"

"Oh, my god! Jack! You're here!" Olivia grinned, lifting her dress enough to show off her black Converse as she hurried toward him when he stepped through a rack of clothes in the wardrobe. She threw her arms around him for a tight hug before stepping back and straightening herself out. "I'm so glad you could come! I know you'd _all_ want to be here, but you can take pictures for Gwen and…Ianto is here in spirit."

"Hey, hey, don't cry, Nova," Jack smiled, warmly. "Joyce is right, your makeup will run."

"Well, let's get everyone dressed then, shall we?" Amy grinned, giving Jack an appraising glance that Aaron noticed.

"Hey, Red, aren't you married?" he smirked at her.

"Only just," she replied turning to him to smirk, "Just enjoying the view."

"Jack…where's your hand," Olivia blurted, looking down to his left where his hand _should_ have been.

"Long story, don't wanna talk about it on your wedding day," he replied quickly. "Let's get you married, Supernova!"

* * *

_Oriental Express__ Throne Room..._

The Doctor fiddled with his white bowtie nervously as he stood with Rory and Matthias, a few chairs set out on one side of the red carpet where Olivia would enter. Every time the door opened he'd look to it, hoping it was Olivia but he always deflated when it ended up being someone else. Aaron leading Joyce in, then River, which made him tense up, then Amy who hurried down the isle to take her place behind Olivia when she would come out and stand with the Doctor for the ceremony. It was making him fidget. A part of him wanted to get this over with, but another part wanted him to run. Of course, he _always_ wanted to run.

"Doctor," Rory whispered, drawing the Time Lord's attention to him. "You're fidgeting. It's alright. Everything will be fine."

"That's my line," the Doctor smirked, not really feeling at ease, but it _did_ help.

The door opened again and he almost expected someone, _not_ Olivia to come through it. But when he saw her as she took the first step, all he saw was her as his hearts leapt and he couldn't help but smile at her when their eyes met. He didn't even notice whose arm she was on until Jack was handing her over to him, making him frown at the Captain who only winked back before giving Olivia a kiss to the cheek then sauntering toward the chairs to sit between Aaron and River.

"You didn't tell me Jack was giving you away," the Doctor whispered as he led her in front of Matthias.

"You look dashing yourself, Doctor, thank you," Olivia retorted in a whisper as well, hinting that he hadn't said a thing about how she looked. "And I didn't know if he'd even be able to make it. Oh, wipe that look off your face about him, I'm marrying _you_, aren't I?!"

"Dearly beloved," Matthias began, halting the discussion. "We are gathered here to join these two in matrimony. If there are any that object to these two being wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

He paused and the Doctor sent a cautious look over his shoulder at River but she seemed to be glancing at Jack with a slight smirk, making him feel relieved at her silence, but his fist clenched slightly as he silently cursed Jack's fifty-first century pheromones.

"Very well," Matthias nodded. "I believe you two had your own vows?"

They both nodded before facing each other, taking each other's hands and meeting each other's gazes. Olivia took in a deep breath and went first.

"Theta," she choked slightly and cleared her throat, feeling the lump of emotion forming there. "You have been there for me since the day we met. You _literally_ materialized out of thin air and turned my life upside down, for the better. I can remember my life before that night, but I can't _imagine_ the rest of it without you now." She felt tears well in her eyes as her voice became shaky with emotion, but she pushed on. "I promise…to never wander off. To always trust you. To _never_ lie to you, and to spend the rest of my life with you. I will _always_ love you, my Highwayman."

She gave a sniffle and a tear escaped her control to roll down her cheek, making the Doctor pull the white handkerchief from his tuxedo jacket and dab her cheek so as not to smear her makeup.

"Sweet Liv," he smiled, still dabbing her tears away as they came freely now. "From the moment I met you, every adventure has just been a small part of a bigger one…yours and mine. You've always been there for me and you never gave up hope that I'd always be there for you. There…_have_ been a few snags, and there will probably be more, I mean, it's _me_ after all, but I _know_ we can get through every single one, just as we _have_ done." He lifted her hands and kissed them, making her give a warm smile before he continued, "Olivia Felton: The Girl Who Never Let Me Go, I promise to never let go of your hand. To never leave you alone. To…_almost_ never lie to you, and to always, _always_ run with you. I will always love you because you're my girl."

Olivia sniffled again but was unable to keep the smile from her face as she shuddered with a silent sob of happiness.

"And now the exchanging of the—" Neither of them looked away as they held their hands up to reveal they were already wearing their rings, cutting Matthias off before he chirped, "Oh! Well then. As ruler of this territory I now pronounce you husband and wife."

"Make out, already!" Jack called.

Olivia gave a laugh before the Doctor pulled her in and planted his lips to hers, making her giggle into the kiss before melting into it as everyone clapped before he pulled away, both grinning.

"I love you, Mrs. Sigma."

"I love you too, Mr. Sigma."

* * *

_Felton Backyard..._

"So _you_ have my Vortex Manipulator?! _You're_ the reason I have no left hand! If you weren't a friend of the Doctor's, you'd be sorry."

"I'm sure I would be."

"Please, don't start a fight you two. It's my wedding!" Olivia begged Jack and River as the three of them, the Doctor, Amy, Rory, Aaron and Joyce all sat at a table in the yard having some of Mrs. Felton's homemade, marble cake.

Everyone was still in their formal wear and each had had a hand in driving the TARDIS easily back to Earth, under the Doctor's, Olivia's and River's guidance.

"Nova, how can you take _her_ side?!" Jack wondered, feigning disbelief.

"Because she used it for a good cause, and River, you were right, I didn't wanna know how you got it," Olivia replied before shoving a bite of cake into her mouth.

"Well, boys and girls," Joyce sighed, standing from the table. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Everyone clean up when you're done."

"Night, mom," Olivia smiled as Joyce stepped toward her to kiss to her cheek.

"Night sweetie. Congratulations," she smiled, heading toward the house as everyone else bid her goodnight.

"I'd better get everyone back to where they belong," the Doctor whispered into Olivia's ear, making her turn to him with a frown. "You stay here."

"But…why can't I go with you?" she wondered.

"I don't want you to ruin your dress," he smiled. "You get changed and I'll be back in a bit, then we'll have our honeymoon."

"Our entire _life_ together has been one great, big honeymoon!" she giggled.

"True," he admitted, placing a kiss on her cheek. They both stood as the Doctor announced, "Alright everyone! Back to the TARDIS, I'm taking everyone home!"

"I don't need a ride," River smirked before disappearing, making Aaron and Jack jump as the pair of newly-weds shook their heads.

"She had it _on_ her?!" Jack snapped, looking to Olivia.

"How do you think she _got_ to the TARDIS?!" she shot back.

"Alright, enough," the Doctor called as everyone else at the table stood. "Come on! Into the TARDIS! Amy, Rory, I'm leaving _you_ to your honeymoon. You're gonna _love_ the place I picked out for you. It's an asteroid _called_ Honeymoon!"

"Sounds lovely," Amy smiled as she, Rory and Aaron sauntered off with the Doctor toward the TARDIS parked in the front yard, Jack and Olivia following them.

"I'm honored you let me give you away," he smiled, making her smile back at him. "I thought it would've been Aaron or Joyce."

"Well…since I met you, you've really been everything to me, _including_ a father figure," she admitted. "I mean, the _Doctor_ is everything to me but…you're my number two. Like…my Commander Wricker from Star Trek."

"You know that character _is_ loosely based on me, right?" Jack smirked, making Olivia giggle as he pulled her close by her shoulders. "I'll always be here for you, Supernova. You just call…" He tapped the side of his head to imply telepathy as he resumed, "…and I'll come running."

"I know," she smiled, hugging his chest as they reached the TARDIS. "That's one of the things I love about you, Jack. You and the Doctor. You're both always there if and when I need you."

"What are Immortals and Time Lords if not reliable?" he shrugged, making her giggle again as he kissed the top of her head.

"Oi!" the Doctor called as Amy and Rory climbed into the TARDIS, Aaron waiting to say goodbye to Olivia outside. "Unhand my wife, Harkness!"

"Just saying goodbye to my little girl!" Jack fake sobbed before pulling Olivia into a bear hug as she laughed. "He's taking you away from me!"

"I'll be fine, _daddy_," she retorted and he pulled away with a smirk.

"That's right," he nodded. "Who's your daddy?"

"Knock it off," Olivia chuckled, pushing him away lightly. "Get in the TARDIS before he loses it."

Jack left another kiss to her cheek before sauntering into the TARDIS and Aaron hugged Olivia tightly.

"Going back to Ealing?" she guessed, and he nodded on her shoulder before they pulled away enough to see each other. "How's this new job working for you?"

"The job isn't as amazing as my down time," he smirked. "You need to get out there and meet Sarah Jane. You'd _love_ her."

"I bet I would," Olivia grinned before letting Aaron head into the TARDIS as well and the Doctor stepped in front of her.

"Head inside and get changed into something…running appropriate," he smiled, giving her an Eskimo kiss and making her giggle again. "I'll be back before you can miss me."

Olivia nodded and met his lips in a tender kiss before they both turned and she headed into the house, hearing the TARDIS engines whirring before the sound disappeared completely. It took her some time to change out of her wedding dress and into a pair of black skinny jeans, a purple tank top and a TARDIS blue leather jacket, still wearing her black Converse. The sound of the TARDIS materializing behind her made her grin before she turned to find it sitting exactly where it had the night they'd met, her grin widening when the door opened to reveal the Doctor, glancing around before his eyes landed on her.

"Hello!" he grinned with a wave. "This may seem daft but…where am I?"

Olivia couldn't help but giggle, recalling that as the exact same question he'd asked when they first met.

"I'll tell you where you are," she began as she had four years ago, sauntering toward him and smirking this time instead of in a rage as he still grinned at her. "You're in my room. This is my wedding night."

"Best not ruin it then," he replied stepping out of the doorway and scooping her into his arms as she cried out in delight.

"What are you doing?!" she giggled, her arms around his neck as he held her bridal style.

"Carrying you over the threshold, of course!" he grinned, stepping through the TARDIS door and it shut behind him when he set her on her feet and dragged her toward the console. "Right! So, I thought of the _perfect_ place for our honeymoon!"

"Aurora!" she grinned.

"Good guess, but no."

"Where?"

He sailed up next to her and grinned, "Gemsyti."

Her eyes lit up and she planted a firm kiss to his lips before turning to help him fly the TARDIS.

"Allons-y, Doctor!"

"Geronimo!"

* * *

**A/N:** can you imsgine if Jack and River honestly met? the universe would implode. anyway, fear not my loves! the Doctor and Olivia aren't done yet! the next story in this series is Moondance! I really hope you enjoyed this story and stick around for the next one! I'm also still writing Olivia's first year at Torchwood called The Year Long Wait so keep your eyes open for that one! the chapter following this is the lyrics to their song Gravity by John Mayer. now for the last time with this story...reviews?


	45. Gravity

_**Chapter 45: Gravity**_

Gravity is working against me  
Gravity wants to bring me down

Oh I'll never know what makes this man  
With all the love that his heart can stand  
Dream of ways to throw it all away

Gravity is working against me  
Gravity wants to bring me down

Oh twice as much ain't twice as good  
And can't sustain like one half could  
It's wanting more that's gonna send me to my knees

Gravity stay the hell away from me  
Gravity has taken better men than me

How can that be?

Just keep me where the light is


End file.
